Michigan State University was honored by Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and the Governor’s Recycling Council for excellence in recycling.
MSU was one of 28 organizations from around the state honored for providing leadership, improving measurement tools, expanding recycling rates, focusing on outreach and education, increasing access to recycling and more.
Specifically, MSU won the Increasing Access Award in the institution category for its recycling rate of 35 percent. In addition, the university was praised for its substantial efforts at developing, promoting and running its public drop off center for the greater Lansing area.
Local residents from more than 20 zip codes have used the center, resulting in more than 4 million pounds of recyclables collected last year. The university also participates in various community recycling events such as Ingham County’s Recycle Rama.
Kris Jolley, with MSU’s Surplus and Recycling Center, represented MSU at the DEQ ceremony to receive the award.
Sustainability has been a priority at MSU, as demonstrated by an earlier announcement that the university will stop burning coal at the end of 2016.