In the span of two days, all 25 Michigan State University residence halls on campus became crowded with excited new Spartans, nervous parents and countless boxes of room items during move in.
Each year, MSU must deal with the empty cardboard boxes, plastic bags, styrofoam and more that pile up during move in. This year, students brought in more than 160,000 pounds of materials to handle.
Through the hard work of employees, volunteers and students, MSU recycled 116,873 pounds of materials. More than 72 percent of materials that would have been sent to a landfill were instead recycled.
Each residence hall had multiple recycling stations for various recyclable materials. Volunteers at each station educated students and parents about what products are recyclable and helped sort materials. By putting these convenient stations in place, MSU hopes to remind students to prioritize the environment and continue to recycle throughout the year.
To learn more about sustainability at MSU, click here.