Money is lost on recycling the plastic as well. It's a money loser. Kevin Morris, a spokesman for Coca-Cola bottling company, said the Coke deal still benefits the University despite the recycling program's losses. The new devices would flatten the plastic bottles by one half to one-third their volume and then bail the plastic along with other materials, reducing hauling costs. In addition to the common quad system recyclables, other materials at the University are recycled at the plant.
Workers strip the bindings off textbooks and determine the different grades of paper within each.
The University also takes part in a phone-book program where students and departments can exchange their old phone books for new ones, sending the old back to U.S. West Communications who sends the items to appropriate mills. University food waste is also recycled, supplying pig farms with adequate meals for the animals, which may one day find themselves on supermarket shelves. Donatucci said that the reuse center is a great place for students to purchase furniture at low prices. Conventional recyclables go through a more complex process before reuse. Paperboard is a hard paper substance used for packaging items like Kleenex and cereal.