ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ

Spring Clean With the Office of Sustainability; E-Inside; March 2, 2018

After spending months cooped up inside, most of us enjoy the opportunity to freshen our homes and offices with a good spring cleaning and decluttering. But before all the clutter ends up in a landfill, Β颹ӰԺ’s Office of Sustainability recommends finding responsible ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

DONATE

Before you throw away everything, consider what else you can do with it. Many places in local communities accept donations.

ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State's Office of Sustainability offers tips on how to be sustainable.

β€œIt is always better to give items another life by reusing or donating first before recycling them or placing items in the trash,” says Leah Graham, outreach recycling coordinator for ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State's Office of Sustainability.

Ms. Graham emphasizes finding solutions and options other than landfills for disposable materials.

 

β€œBefore you put it in the trash bin, consider available donation or recycling opportunities,” Ms. Graham says.

 

UPCYCLING/RECYCLING

  • Clothing: Clothes can be donated year-round to the ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State Career Closet. Clothes that are not used as professional pieces are donated to the Phyllis Zumkehr Portage County Clothing Center. From spring break to the end of the year, during β€œThrow N Go,” 100,000 pounds of clothing, furniture and nonperishable food are donated to the Phyllis Zumkehr Portage County Clothing Center, which makes items available to families and individuals at no cost. Or, you can search the  website for your nearest clothing donation location.
  • Food: If you are cleaning out your food pantry, ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State’s Women’s Center accepts food donations year-round. During spring break through move out, at β€œThrow N Go” donation stations, nonperishable food, furniture and clothing are collected and donated to the Phyllis Zumkehr Portage County Clothing Center. Food also can be donated to Family and Community Services, Miller Community House or you can search the  website for your nearest donation location.
  • Furniture and Office Supplies: 
    • Furniture and Office Supplies are much needed atReStore (Habitat for Humanity), Phyllis Zumkehr Portage County Clothing Center with ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Campus donation sites available via the β€œThrow N Go” program, Village Discount Outlet and Goodwill Industries. For other furniture recyclers in your area, search the  website.
    • ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State-owned furniture should be disposed of following procurement and disposal protocols.
  • Architecture and Interior Design Supplies: ZeroLandfill Akron and Cleveland accept these types of supplies for responsible disposal.
  • Ink and Toner Cartridges: For university disposal of these items, you can use the GBEX Ink and Toner Recycling Program. For disposal of personal ink or toner cartridges, search the  site or look into the  website.

PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION DISPOSAL

ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State has year-round drop off locations for expired or unwanted prescription medications. The ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State Police department has a metal drop-off box located outside its building on East Summit Street. If you have questions, call 330-672-3111. The city of ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Police Station also has a drop-off box located outside its building on Water Street.
 

DOCUMENT SHREDDING

It can be easy to recycle papers, but what about those that include sensitive information? ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State’s Division of Human Resources and the Office of Sustainability are hosting ShredMania on Wednesday, March 21. The event will be held from 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Campus R-17 parking lot behind Starbucks, between South Willow Street and South Lincoln Street, as part of the RecycleMania competition. This event is free and open to all students, faculty, staff and the ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ community. This is a great opportunity to shred unwanted paper waste using a secure, onsite document destruction service.

β€œSensitive documents, data or information that people don’t want to put directly in the recycling are what people typically shred,” Ms. Graham says. β€œIf you have sensitive information that needs to be destroyed, you can shred it at ShredMania, and then it gets recycled.”

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

University Facilities Management and the Office of Sustainability are also hosting the E-Cycle Drive to encourage the ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ community to properly dispose of their electronics through an R2-certified electronics recycler, where materials are handled in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The drive occurs Wednesdays, March 714 and 21, from 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in the R-17 parking lot behind Starbucks, between South Willow Street and South Lincoln Street. Almost anything with a cord is accepted except TV sets and kitchen appliances.

From extension cords to old digital cameras, this is the perfect time to responsibly dispose of all of those junk drawer electronics.

β€œIt is all about knowing what options are available for disposable items,” Ms. Graham says. β€œIt doesn’t have to be trash. It’s about finding the appropriate outlet.”

University Facilities Management collects and recycles electronics via Flash Track year-round.

For more information about the E-Cycle Drive and ShredMania, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/events.

For more information about ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ State’s Office of Sustainability, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability.

POSTED: FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2018 - 11:35AM
 
UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2018 - 11:44AM
 
WRITTEN BY: 
AUDRA GORMLEY
POSTED: Friday, March 2, 2018 12:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 09:05 AM