UTM is trying to do its part to keep the campus and surrounding community clean and environmentally friendly.
The easiest way to support these efforts is to recycle, and there are numerous ways to help.
Recycled goods can be dropped off in many areas on campus, and the UTM Recycling Center will take care of the rest. Every building at UTM has a paper, plastic and aluminum bin to place trash in. The Recycling Center is located at the end of Moody Avenue in the former National Guard building, and recycling can be placed in the cages in the front of the building, or, if assistance is needed, a representative at the center will be glad to help.
However, a few restrictions exist concerning the types of items that UTM can accept for recycling. Plastics, clear and colored, are fine (i.e. drink bottles, milk jugs, and laundry detergent bottles) to recycle. Wal-Mart bags and any similar type of grocery bags are allowed.
The center can accept “E-waste,” which is anything that plugs into a wall, as well as aluminum, scrap metal, cardboard, paper, books, ink cartridges, shrink wrap, glass, tin cans and even car bumpers.
Items that the center cannot accept include televisions, plastic foam, rubber, wood or vinyl siding.
A few simple steps that students can take to conserve energy and help the environment include turning off lights when leaving a room as well as turning off computers. One can conserve paper by writing on both sides of the page; about 42 percent of waste in landfills is paper. Not using cardboard or paper cups and buying recycled products can also help reduce waste.
Ways that the community can help keep the town clean include dropping off recycling at trailers located behind Westview High School, Martin Middle School and Martin Elementary School.
On Monday, Oct. 21, the UTM Recycling Center took part in a contest sponsored by the State of Tennessee called the “Recycle Bowl.” This yearly contest pits schools throughout the state against each other with the school collecting the most recycling winning.
“I will keep track of the weight of the recycled trash for all of the schools who participate in the contest. In Weakley County, Dresden Middle School is edging out Martin Middle School by less than 100 pounds,” said Mike Davis, coordinator of the Recycling Center.
Another event that helps raise recycling awareness is the “Martin Beautiful” contest, which is also held every year. This event involves Martin residents as well as UTM student organizations, fraternities and sororities.
“This event is another way that the university community and the Martin community can work together to help keep our town clean, both in and around UT Martin,” Davis said.
Davis encourages students who want to complete community service hours or anyone else who would be interested in volunteering to come to the Recycling Center during its regular hours of operation.
The UTM Recycling Center hours of operation are Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturday – Sunday 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Davis can be reached at 731-881-7640 or wdavis11@utm.edu.
