Small acts add up to make a huge difference. A large recycling effort was started when a campus mail employee noticed somebody throwing away rubber bands that could be re-used by Mail Services. ASU’s Materials Management collects and recycles rubber bands, campus mail envelopes, tape dispensers, used pens, markers and highlighters, laser and ink jet printer cartridges and some computer accessories.
“It has happened organically, with individual employees volunteering to help, and each little item adding up to a greater whole,” says Maureen King, manager of Materials Management. “The work is spread out over lots of people, but the effect is substantial.”
The Materials Management team won an ASU President’s Award for Sustainability this spring for their innovative program that uses existing delivery and pick-up routes to collect the used items.
- ASU News story: Employee program to recycle small things gets big results, campus award
- Learn how to recycle office supplies in your area
