Become a zero-waste campus

2025 Sustainability Champion Ryan Lark helps build a culture of recycling and sustainability at UK

Each year, the Sustainability Champion Awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to sustainability at the University of Kentucky. At the 2025 Sustainability Showcase, Ryan Lark, UK Zero Waste Specialist, was recognized as...

Kova Jones

Henry Walke, an environmental and sustainability studies and economics junior, brings recyclable materials from his residence hall to a recycling compactor.

Become a zero-waste campus Behind The Scenes Make the pursuit of sustainability an integral part of the student experience

Behind the blue bins: UK’s new recycling video reveals the journey of your waste

The University of Kentucky is turning one person’s waste into another’s pizza box, soda can, Adirondak chair or a plethora of other items that can be found around campus. “Recycling is one of the easiest ways everyone on campus can make an impact,”...

Jennifer Allen

Become a zero-waste campus Sustainability Tips

Announcing The Thrifty Cat: A zero-waste campus resource

The Thrifty Cat, UK’s new ‘campus free store’, started as the independent project of Olivia Smith, a UK Recycling intern through the Sustainability Internship Program. Smith joined UK Recycling as an intern in Fall 2024. Inspired to offer a...

Olivia Smith

Category - Become a zero-waste campus

Vision: Foster a culture of waste reduction, diversion, and circularity by adopting innovative practices and infrastructure to eliminate waste across all areas of campus life.

Become a zero-waste campus Behind The Scenes

Reducing, reusing, and recycling at Big Blue Move-In

Becoming a zero-waste campus is one of UK’s sustainability goals. Actually, its one of our five guiding principles; Make the pursuit of these goals an integral part of the UK student experience Decarbonize campus...

Katherine Johnson

391 views

Activism Become a zero-waste campus Community Sustainability Tips

Say hello to Oscar Sort, UK Recycling’s new AI-powered, waste-sorting system

University of Kentucky Recycling has a new “helping hand” on campus. Oscar Sort, an artificial intelligence waste-sorting system from Intuitive AI, has been installed on campus to empower better recycling decisions...

Chelsea Colley

337 views

Activism Become a zero-waste campus Sustainability Tips

UK student inspired to create compostable paper recycling program

Inspired by ideas from a Symposium on Energy, University of Kentucky student and UK Recycling’s programmatic support intern, Shaun Lavin, started a pilot composting program for brown paper towels on campus. The...

Chelsea Colley

159 views

Become a zero-waste campus Behind The Scenes

‘Greentalks’ on WRFL features UK’s recycling and waste reduction specialist, Ryan Lark

On Monday, February 6th, Faith Roberts interviewed Ryan Lark on Greentalks, a WRFL segment supported by the UK Student Sustainability Council. In the interview, Ryan discussed his role with UK Recycling, UK’s new...

Chelsea Colley

186 views

Academics Become a zero-waste campus Sustainability Tips

UK Recycling’s Partnership with WestRock Expands Accepted Recyclables on Campus

At the start of 2020, the University of Kentucky (UK) embarked on an exciting new partnership with WestRock, a materials recycling center and paperboard manufacturing company. Since then, all of the items you place in...

Ryan Lark

280 views

Become a zero-waste campus Behind The Scenes Sustainability Tips

UK Recycling continues food waste program at Univerisity Flats

After the success in past school years, University of Kentucky Recycling is continuing the residence hall food waste program at University Flats under the leadership of Recycling Program Support intern Shaun Lavin. In...

Chelsea Colley

164 views

Become a zero-waste campus Behind The Scenes

UK Recycling on Track to Reach Waste Diversion Goal

University of Kentucky Recycling had a 47% waste diversion rate for the academic campus in the 2021 calendar year. UK has a target of diverting 50% of its campus waste from the landfill by the end of 2022 and is on...

Chelsea Colley

165 views

Become a zero-waste campus Sustainability Tips

Participate in Campus Race to Zero Waste

As a New Year’s resolution, you may have decided to make changes in your behavior to minimize your environmental impact. Many of us want to consume less, implement more sustainable habits, and make environmentally...

Chelsea Colley

199 views

Activism Become a zero-waste campus Research

A low-cost solution to mismanaged plastic waste in the developing world

Plastic is a miracle of modern chemistry. From healthcare to food preservation to the automotive industry, these amazing polymers make modern life possible. Unfortunately, the properties that make plastic so valuable –...

Jeffrey Seay

407 views

Activism Become a zero-waste campus Sustainability Tips

I Wish I Didn’t Like Plastic

I wish I disliked plastic. Every time I take a walk, whether it be in a city or the countryside, I see plastic littering the land. This isn’t new; as a child, I saw trash of all kinds piled up in the creeks...

Shelby Browning

214 views

Activism Become a zero-waste campus

UK Recycling encourages campus to join a ‘wave’ of change

Each year, the University of Kentucky celebrates America Recycles Day on Nov. 15 by encouraging faculty, staff and students to recycle and learn more about recycling on campus. Following last...

Joanna Ashford

107 views

Become a zero-waste campus Sustainability Tips

GameDay Recycling Challenge

Football. Not sure if you have heard, but we are a football school! We love cheering on the Cats each Saturday as they continue to do amazing things to move our football program further! On November 6th, we want to move...

Joanna Ashford

240 views

2025 Sustainability Champion Ryan Lark helps build a culture of recycling and sustainability at UK

Behind the blue bins: UK’s new recycling video reveals the journey of your waste

Announcing The Thrifty Cat: A zero-waste campus resource

Category - Become a zero-waste campus

Reducing, reusing, and recycling at Big Blue Move-In

Say hello to Oscar Sort, UK Recycling’s new AI-powered, waste-sorting system

UK student inspired to create compostable paper recycling program

‘Greentalks’ on WRFL features UK’s recycling and waste reduction specialist, Ryan Lark

UK Recycling’s Partnership with WestRock Expands Accepted Recyclables on Campus

UK Recycling continues food waste program at Univerisity Flats

UK Recycling on Track to Reach Waste Diversion Goal

Participate in Campus Race to Zero Waste

A low-cost solution to mismanaged plastic waste in the developing world

I Wish I Didn’t Like Plastic

UK Recycling encourages campus to join a ‘wave’ of change

GameDay Recycling Challenge

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Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Campus Keynote – April 6, 2023 @ 12pm

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Sustainable enterprise training fund established

John Francis the “Planet Walker”

Join us October 18th for AASHE: the Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education

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Applications Open for 2025-2026 Sustainability Internship Program

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