MUNICIPAL RECYCLING FOCUS
by kelsey turek
GO GREEN!
Michigan State University is going “greener” than just the school’s color.
Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, Mich., is known as an agriculture school, a col- lege with a great men’s basketball
team and the team’s coach, Tom Izzo.
Now, the Big Ten university also wants to
be known for its environmental efforts,
having added a new Surplus Store & Recycling Center, which boasts numerous
“green” design aspects, and a material recovery facility (MRF).
Located within the struggling economy of Michigan, the university is still
making it a priority to carry out its duty
to environmental stewardship by revising
and expanding the traditional three Rs to
reflect its environmental goals: Reduce,
Reuse/Recycle, Research/Reeducate, Redesign and Rethink.
In 2005, MSU President Lou Anna Simon initiated a strategic positioning process for MSU titled “Boldness by Design.”
The title reflects her aspirations for the
university and challenges the campus to
embark on a bold and purposeful march
into the 21st century by increasing recycling, decreasing energy use and changing the outlooks and behaviors of the
46,000 faculty, staff and students.
ATTENTION TO DIVERTING
The MSU Surplus Store and the MSU Recycling Center, which used to be housed
in separate buildings despite working
closely together, are now under one roof.
The facility includes more storage, an
education center that is open to students
of all ages and community members and
a MRF, which sorts and bales all of MSU’s
recyclables. A public drop-off area also is
available to MSU students and staff.
The facility’s most prized new features
are the sorting line and baler in the MRF,
which were supplied by Karl W. Schmidt
& Associates Inc., Commerce City, Colo.
The facility has a maximum capacity of
5,500 tons per year, allowing the university plenty of room to meet its goals to
74 RECYCLING TODAY // FEBRUARY 2010
www.RecyclingToday.com
