The Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling recently received the 2013 Charlotte Chamber Wells Fargo Green Award in recognition of the campus’ mini-bin program.
According to the Charlotte Chamber, the University earned its title for “a simple idea discussed in departmental meetings that developed into a campus-wide initiative. The idea was to remove trash cans from all the classrooms and reduce the size of trash bins in all offices.” This shift changed the focus from trash to recycling, which has resulted in a 25 percent increase in the recycling of bottles and cans in all academic buildings during the past two years and nearly 15 percent more office recycling.
“Being recognized by the Charlotte Chamber is a great achievement. It demonstrates strong interest for our level of commitment to sustainability at UNC Charlotte,” said Devin Hatley, environmental educator in the Facilities Management Department. Implementation of the mini-bin program involved the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling and the Housekeeping Department.
This is the third award for the program since it was launched in 2011. Last year, the program won the Effective and Innovative Practices Award given by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers and the Carolina Recycling Association’s Outstanding College or University Program Award.
The Wells Fargo Green Award is sponsored by the Green Works Committee; Habitat for Humanity also was recognized in the non-green division for efforts to build LEED certified homes since 2011.