Recycling Information for Colleges and Universities
Recycling Requirements
Public universities and community colleges are required by North Carolina General Statutes to collect and recycle aluminum cans, newspaper, office paper, recyclable glass and plastic bottles. They must also comply with statewide landfill bans.
Furthermore, public universities and community colleges are mandated by General Statutes to purchase recycled content goods and services. This is a key component of closing the recycling loop: purchasing products with recycled content creates markets for recyclable materials.
Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report
Data from 34 reporting schools show they generated a total of 11,716 tons of discarded material in FY 2020-21 and 15,082 in FY 2021-22. Of that total, 6,280 tons (53 percent) was sent to a landfill for disposal in FY 2020-21 and 8,333 tons (55 percent) in FY 2021-22. Still, 5,437 tons (47 percent) were recovered for reuse or recycling in FY 2020-21 and 6,749 tons (45 percent) in FY 2021-22.
Contact Sandy Skolochenko at sandy.skolochenko@ncdenr.gov or 919-707-8147 with any questions about the report.
Annual Reports:
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2020-21 2021-22
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2019-20
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2018-19
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2017-18
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2016-17
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2015-16
North Carolina Public University and Community College Annual Recycling Report 2014-15
Additional Resources
The Collegiate Recyclers Coalition is a council of the Carolina Recycling Association that brings collegiate recycling coordinators together with the goal of sharing information to develop more comprehensive waste reduction, reuse, and recycling programs on college campuses in North and South Carolina.
The College and University Recycling Coalition is a nationwide non-profit organization that seeks to advance recycling and sustainable materials management at colleges and universities.