Teachers College is committed to the 3R’s: reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling plastic, paper, metals, and glass
Recycling & Waste Avoidance
In New York City, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) collects about 1.2 tons of recycling a day. In order for NYC to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030, we must all participate in and contribute to reducing, reusing and recycling. This includes NYC schools and higher education institutions, such as Teachers College, to increase efforts in making waste management and recycling more efficient and environmentally friendly.
At Teachers College, improving our waste management and recycling is imperative for a more sustainable and healthy campus. In addition to having a campus wide waste sorting system, TC has also made improvements in the materials used in managing our waste, strengthening our partnerships with waste management vendors, and promoting accountability in annual recycling reports. Learn more about these initiatives below.
Every aspect of improving TC’s waste management system is consistently reviewed and improved upon when there are more sustainable options available. Recently, the college changed from unsustainable custodial products to more environmentally friendly options, such as the Gateway R-Spec Liners. See how the new bin liners compare:
1.0 mil R-Spec vs. 1.35 mil Revolution 145 lbs - Buckeye International, Inc.
In partnership with Action Environmental Services since 2016, TC has diverted a total of 1,996.43 tons of waste toward recycling over the past four years. As TC improves our waste management system, we have consistently increased the percentage of recycled and diverted materials. The table below shows the breakdown of recycling and waste over the past four years at TC.
Action Carting Single Stream Recycling (Tonnage)
Click on the link below to see the Action Environmental Group's optical sorting system that sorts TC waste.
Additional Resources
Learn more about possible resources for your curriculum on Reduce, Reuse and Recycling:
- NYC Office of Sustainability Lesson Plans and Resources for Recycling and Waste
- NYC Zero Waste Schools
- GrowNYC
- EPA Reduce Reuse Recycle Student Resources
- Landfill Lesson Plan Secondary Science
- Teaching Engineering 3RC (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost)
- Climate Generation Carbon Calculators
- Battery Specialists - how to recycle
Get involved in NYC Community Initiatives: