City of Columbia Recycling Announces Big Changes

COLUMBIA, MO (January 6, 2015) – 

The Columbia Public Works Solid Waste Division is excited to announce that you now have more choices when recycling plastics! Beginning immediately, the City of Columbia will accept plastics labeled 1 through 7 in the recycling stream via curbside or drop-off collection.

 

You can now place plastics labeled 1 through 7 on the container in your blue bag for curbside recycling or place those materials in the drop-off recycling bins located in various locations in Columbia. A few examples of new materials collected include plastic drinking cups, plastic food containers such as yogurt cups, and empty plastic prescription bottles.

Plastics still not collected include plastic grocery/convenience store bags, plastic straws, plastic drink cup lids and plastic newspaper sleeves.

"Columbia's diversion rate, the items recycled and not placed in the landfill, is only 17 percent," said Barbara Buffaloe, Columbia sustainability manager. "Our goal, over the next few years, is to increase the diversion rate to or above the national average of 34 percent. Collecting more items is a great start!"

"We know our customers have been asking us to increase the types of plastics they can place in the recycling stream," said John Glascock, director of Public Works. "We're pleased that we have been able to reconfigure our Material Recovery Facility to accept these additional plastics and that we have been able to find a buyer for the materials."

The city's website will be updated soon to further assist customers in identifying what materials can be recycled, as well as those which can not.

Recyclemania 2013

Dear all,

We are gearing up for another year of Recyclemania.  Recyclemania is a friendly competition between 600 other universities and colleges to have the highest recycling tonnage and waste minimization per capita.  Collection begins February 3rd and runs for eight weeks until March 30th.  During this time we hope to increase recycling participation and awareness throughout campus. We are collecting the usual cardboard, paper, bottles and cans.

Thanks for all your help.  You can let me know if you have any further questions about Recyclemania.  Mid-April I will send an e-mail with our recycling results and rankings among other colleges.

Alicia LaVaute

MU to Lead the World in Adapting to Climate Change

Adapting to Climate Change Conference to be held June 6-8

Columbia, MO   — Academics, students, governmental agency representatives and interested parties who want to collaborate to provide information and tools to help residents, businesses and governments make better choices when adapting to climate change will gather June 6-8 at the University of Missouri for the conference,   Adapting to Climate Change:  Gaining the Advantage.

Climate change is already having an impact on animal and bird migrations, growing seasons, disease, energy consumption, water availability and flooding events which all effect societies and how they relate to one another.  Since climate will continue to change at an accelerating rate, humanity must become more resilient and define more effective strategies for adaptation regionally, nationally and globally.  The University of Missouri has unique strengths to tackle these issues around Adapting to Climate Change and become a world leader as the source of information and actions regarding adaptation.

Thomas Johnson, from the organizing committee and professor of Agricultural Economics knows that there is an interest area for every person at MU at this conference.  “We hope our colleagues across campus will participate in order to learn about what kind of climate adaptation research is being done at MU, and to find opportunities to form interdisciplinary teams to find innovative solutions to societal problems caused by climate change.   We need a wide spectrum of discussion from all fields. For example, what is the role of the arts in raising peoples’ consciousness of the need for adaptation or a historian’s role in helping us understands the process of adaptation?” This conference, primarily funded by the Mizzou Advantage, will also review the interdisciplinary projects that have been happening in the four Mizzou Advantage Initiatives relating to this topic and then leave the floor open to discuss new possibilities for joint projects.  Other sessions will include topics regarding infrastructure, education, message distribution and business opportunities.

Keynote speakers will open and close the conference and include:  Dr. James Buizer, the Deputy Director for Climate Adaptation & International Development and Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona; Dr. Paul Siegel, Consultant to the World Bank, who has been focusing on strategies, policies and projects that integrate climate change adaptation, food security and social protection, and issues related to climate change justice; and Adam Parris, with the National Oceanography and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Mr. Parris is the program manager of a network of eleven different cooperative agreements between NOAA and academic teams investigating multi-dimensional issues, all dealing with climate’s effect on society.

Further details including those regarding registration and poster submission can be found at:  http://www.muconf.missouri.edu/adaptation/index.html.    For the cost of $25.00, participants will be able to learn from the speakers, take part in discussions and network during meals and receptions during the three day event.   A poster session will also be held and poster submissions are still welcome.

For content information contact:  Thomas Johnson, johnsontg@missouri.edu, (573) 882-2157

For registration information contact:  Barbara Wills, MU Conference Office, willsbj@missouri.edu; (573) 882-4370

Reminder From the Greener MU Libraries Committee

On behalf of the Greener Libraries Committee, a reminder:

·  This Saturday May 7, 2011, from 9 am – 1 pm, electronic waste will be collected on the parking lot of Home Depot, 3215  Clark Line.  Smaller items may be left for free while larger materials will be taken for a small fee.  Refrigerators and hazardous materials will not be accepted.  This effort is being sponsored by the city, Home Depot and Mid-MO Recycling.  For more information, visit this link http://bit.ly/laP76n.

·  Saturday April 2, the City of Columbia once again began accepting hazardous household wastes at 1313 Lakeview Avenue and will continue to do so at this site–the lst and 3rd Saturdays of each month–through November 19, 2011.  This Saturday May 7th,  from 8 am – noon,  is another opportunity to avail yourself of this service and rid your home and property of dangerous substances.  Hazardous waste collection is available annually, spring through fall, at this collection site.  If you would like to read more about this service, visit http://bit.ly/ilFbQb.  See map below for location.

·  There are recycling containers—certainly not for products in the hazardous category—for glass, paper, cans and plastics located in Ellis’ staff lounge and West Exit.  There are also GreenDisc Techno-Trash bins located in the Information Commons, for small electronic components, cables, etc.  (Full list of techno-trash items accepted by GreenDisc here: http://bit.ly/etLJLD ). By using these bins, you help keep our environment green.

E-Waste Drive Update

The Sustain Mizzou e-waste collection drive was a great success! Over one ton of e-waste was collected.  Thanks to all of the library staff who brought in their e-waste!  In addition, members of the Greener MU Libraries Task Force volunteered to collect e-waste.  Want to learn more about e-waste?The Greener MU Libraries group is working on an e-waste display for Ellis Library.

–Caryn Scoville

Recyclemania at MU

Recycling is a small contribution with a HUGE impact on our environment. One way everyone can help, and have fun recycling, is to become an MU team player in Recyclemania, a ten-week competition for colleges and universities to reduce waste. We, along with over 600 other schools, are reporting our recycling weights every week from January 17 until March 27.

Put us on top by simply disposing of recyclable materials properly on campus. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Break down cardboard and set aside for convenient removal by custodians (we have box cutter key chains we can give you).
  • Recycle all acceptable beverage containers, inside and outside of buildings.
  • Recycle office paper, magazines, food boxboards, newspapers, phone books, and catalogs.
  • Consider starting an indoor beverage program in your building if you have not already.
  • Have individual desk-side recycling containers delivered to your building for convenience in recycling.

Let us know if we can help in any way by emailing mucfsustainability@missouri.edu or morelandja@missouri.edu

Look for updates on MU Info and on our website.

There is a prize for the winning school!

Acknowledge Winners
2010 national winners will receive a permanent award with their school name, competition category and year inscribed. Winners will be acknowledged in a public awards ceremony at a recycling industry event to be determined.

GO TIGERS!