University of Montana
OP-18: Waste Diversion

o The university of Montana sells surplus materials to the public, provides several recycling locations on campus, and recycles all materials accepted by local recycling companies. The facilities services recycling program is committed to reducing the amount of waste taken to the landfill. The recycling program works closely with university custodians and is staffed primarily by student employees committed to the cause of keeping our environment clean and healthy. UM recycling receives about 80% of its funds from a student recycling fee (4$ per student per semester). This is hopefully increasing to 6$ per student per semester. Additional funds come from UM staff donations, selling recyclables, and vending machine revenues. o For halogen lights, the university owns a piece of machinery that removes the mercury, making the lights regular waste. Once the mercury is removed, the piece of machinery breaks down the glass, which is resold to a company in California. This company then reuses the old glass to make new light bulbs. o Twice a year the university hosts a furniture sale where people from the local community are able to purchase leftover materials. o The scrap steel is sent out of the state to be reused. o Eight hundred pallets per year are diverted from the universities waste stream. Johnson Brothers Company, located in Missoula, takes the pallets and refurbishes them, and then sells them to the public. If they cannot be refurbished, the pallets are then chipped, and are sold for landscaping or fire usage. o Appliances from technical services, mainly being refrigerators and ovens, are also diverted from the waste stream. If they are not resold at the campus garage sale, or are broken, Technical Services will then remove the refrigeration agent and compressors. The compressors are then reused, or recycled through Technical Services. The radiators (aluminum copper) are taken by Edi, and are recycled. The rest of the appliance, mainly being the frame, is taken to Pacific Steel. o Rechargeable batteries- every battery from the university cars, from the exit signs, and from fire alarms are all rechargeable batteries. They are collected and recovered, and then reused.