Bottle Recycling on a College Campus: An Application to Union College

College students generate a high quantity of waste to landfills each year which contributes to the massive issue of global warming.The development of an effective, cost-efficient recycling program on college campuses would be instrumental in the effort to increase recycling and reduce waste. Union College signed a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2060. As a primarily residential college, student recycling will affect the productivity of this commitment. This thesis analyzes factors affecting student recycling behavior at Union College. An on-line survey was launched to collect data about students' socio-demographic profile, year and residence status at Union College, lifestyle behavior, frequency of recycling, perception of convenience of recycling on campus (i.e., access to bins in different locations), and general attitudes towards recycling. The results show that students recycle bottles less in athletic facilities because they believe it is less convenient. Students would also be more likely to recycle bottles if it were more convenient. The policy implications from these results are that making bottle recycling more convenient would increase bottle recycling on campus. Specifically, increasing the number of recycling bins in athletic facilities might increase student bottle recycling on campus. Results from this thesis are important for Union College sustainability to consider to help stay on track with the commitment to being carbon neutral and reducing waste.