The 3R Program Recycling at Northern Illinois University www.niu.edu NIU Calendar Campus Maps
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To contact us:
Phone:
815-753-0352
Fax:
815-753-6290

3R Program Physical Plant Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115


History

Recycling at Northern Illinois University began in the 1970s as a volunteer effort from a handful of students who traversed the streets of the city of DeKalb, picking up recyclables from curbside bins of private residences. In the mid 1980s the students were given a fenced-in enclosure by the university from which to base their operations. The program also received support from the Student Association. In 1986, the Student Association Recycling Program (SARP) moved its operations into an unused barn; this barn was renamed the Tom Kennedy Recycling Center in 1992. From this location, the SARP serviced the recycling needs of the entire university, including all of its academic, administrative, and residence buildings.
The recycling center's front doors swung open, serving as a community drop-off center. Inside, a tray held all the recyclables received from the community until they could be sorted and bagged. The recycling truck would go on route picking up the recycling from all the buildings on campus. On specific nights, the truck would visit the residence halls and wait in front for the recycling captains on each floor to bring down the recycling bins from every pressing room. The materials then would be dumped out and sorted through.

     Paper received there would be put in the baler and loaded on one of the wooden pallets you see here in front of the center. Then, the forklift would lift the bale of paper into the semi-trailer. Once it was full, the company who marketed this product came to take away the trailer.
     Glass and Aluminum were separated and put in special boxes and bags for pick-up and marketing by the hauler. These were more profitable to recycle than any other type of recyclable materials.
     Tin and Plastics didn't need to be separated and were just thrown into a huge dumpster for hauling. This accounted for a large portion of the community's materials left on the tray.

Student Association Recycling functioned as the sole source of recycling education, pick-up, and processing of the materials. It also was NIU's environmental awareness center. Programs, speakers, and celebrations of Earth Day were organized through SA Recycling.
Unfortunately, recycling wasn't profitable, and SA began to incur a deficit. The university began discussion on different approaches to recycling at NIU. Here's a Daily Chronicle article describing the deficit and what key members involved thought about what would come for recycling. Another article from the Northern Star titled NIU Can't Salvage Recycling Center addresses the Tom Kennedy recycling centers closing and the effects on recycling.  Additional articles published about the recycling program appeared in The Northern Star and Daily Chronicle.
The Student Association discussed options for a new plan of action for recycling with the administration and Physical Plant. It was decided that a pilot recycling program should be implemented to determine the best way to serve the students, faculty, and staff. SA Recycling would collect aluminum cans, until the closing of the Tom Kennedy Recycling center, to generate revenues to reduce the program debt.
Today, the NIU recycling efforts are a part of the duties of the Physical Plant.  The program uses 3- and 4-bin units that allow for the collection of garbage, cans and bottles, and paper.  For the faculty and staff of NIU, desk side blue bins are placed for paper recycling, and optional mini-bins replace garbage cans.  The 3R Program has received funding from the University, the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA), and the Illinois Bureau of Energy and Recycling. Find out what the current program accepts.