Today living green is mainstream. A-list celebrities like Jessica Alba and Lisa Ling are advocating for eco-friendly lifestyles. Green living is also creating new jobs.
Dallas College and the City of Dallas share a common goal: both organizations are committed to generating zero waste by 2040.
How will we accomplish this?
- Reducing the amount of materials we use
- Re-using materials whenever possible
- Recycling what can't be reduced or reused
Learn more about Dallas College’s recycling and zero waste initiatives:
Campus Race to Zero Waste Annual Competition
Did you know living green is competitive?
Colleges and universities around the country are competing to see who's the greenest of them all.
Every February and March, the college participates in the
Campus Race to Zero Waste (formerly known as RecycleMania). Dallas College has a proud RecycleMania Legacy led by the North Lake and Richland Campus and all Campuses participating since 2008.
For example, the Waste Minimization category uses regular "waste weigh-ins" to track everything that gets thrown away on campus (even in the recycling bin). The campus with the least amount of waste wins.
In the "Per Capita Classic" category, however, schools compete to see which can collect the largest combined amount of paper, cardboard and bottles and cans on a per person basis. The campus with the largest amount of recyclables wins.
Whatever category (or categories) your campus competes in, the main goal is the same: to reduce or eliminate waste and improve recycling efforts on campus.
Or, in the words of one Dallas College student, "Don't be trashy."
In 2021, Dallas College received the
Case Study Award for promoting zero waste with an online Zero Waste Education Hub, and modeled Zero Waste Practices in Arts, Construction and Public Health.
In 2022, Dallas College focused on three areas for the Campus Race to Zero Waste Competition:
Student and Public Education, Zero Waste Infrastructure and E-Waste Events.
For the first time ever, Dallas College Athletics participated in the College Game Day Challenge. The College Game Day Challenge is a specific recycling competition at basketball games involving student-athletes and coaches, facilities and sustainability staff and of course the basketball fans at the game.
The Game Day Challenge event occurred on February 16,
2022, hosted by the 2021-22 NJCAA National Championship Men’s Basketball team, the Dallas College North Lake Blazers. The Blazers hosted their Dallas College peer rival team, the Brookhaven Bears.
Dallas College North Lake won the NJCAA DIII national championship in 2021-22. The Blazers will be honored in a ring ceremony 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in the North Lake gym. (NJCAA photo).
Community Events and Drop-Off Stations
Dallas College partners with community businesses and local organizations to provide access to recycling drop-off sites at scheduled events and specific campus locations.
E-Waste Recycling
Do you have old electronics, appliances or batteries that you’d like to recycle in an environmentally responsible manner? Mark these dates on your calendar.
Learn More About E-Waste Recycling Events
Cease the Grease Cooking Grease Drop-Off Stations
Dallas College partners with the City of Dallas Cease the Grease Program to provide free community access drop-off locations for cooking grease. The Cease the Grease Program helps to reduce solid waste from cooking grease entering the local wastewater treatment system.
When solid waste from cooking grease enters into the local wastewater treatment system, it can slow down the process to treat water and can result in increased costs to the City and ultimately the local taxpayers and your water bill.
Dallas College offers Cease the Grease drop-off stations at the following campuses:
- Brookhaven Campus
- Cedar Valley Campus
- Eastfield Campus
- Mountain View Campus
- North Lake Campus
- Pleasant Grove Center
- Richland Campus
From September 2018 to May 2021, the college in partnership with the city collected 7,039 gallons of grease from the community to eliminate waste.
College Recycling and Waste Management Practices
Dallas College and the City of Dallas share a common goal: both organizations are committed to generating zero waste by 2040.
How will we accomplish this?
- Reducing the amount of materials we use.
- Re-using materials whenever possible.
- Recycling what can't be reduced or reused.
Dallas College Environmental Services Department leads and manages the college’s recycling and solid waste streams. The following waste streams are managed responsibly or recycled with community partners and businesses:
- Metal scrap from facilities projects and educational programs
- Food waste from Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality programs
- Cardboard recycling for all college departments
- Hazardous waste responsible disposal
Metal Scrap Recycling is available at the following campuses for college departments including Facilities Management and Planning, Construction Science and Technology, HVAC, Welding, and Automotive Technology:
- Brookhaven Campus
- North Lake Campus
- Cedar Valley Campus
- Bill J. Priest Center
- Coppell Center
- Mountain View Campus
The new metal scrap recycling program has provided a return on investment to the college for a total of $3,644 from April 2022 to October 2022.
Food waste composting is available for students and faculty from the Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality programs at the following campuses:
- Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality (CPH) Center
- El Centro Campus
Cardboard recycling with new cardboard bailers purchasing by the Environmental Services Department is available to all college departments at the following campuses:
- Brookhaven Campus
- Cedar Valley Campus
- Eastfield Campus
- El Centro Campus
- Mountain View Campus
- North Lake Campus
- Richland Campus
Hazardous waste responsible disposal is available to all college departments and at all college campuses and locations. The following hazardous materials are responsibly disposed in partnership with community businesses:
- Laboratory chemical agents
- Florescent lightbulbs
- Automotive batteries, fluids and tires