Initially funded by the We Mean Green Fund, the BigBelly recycling bin project served
as a solution to the issue of UNT staff spending significant time and energy on outdoor
waste and recycling collection operations to maintain a clean, comfortable, and sustainable campus environment. By purchasing 50 BigBelly trash and recycling bins
to replace conventional bins in key campus areas, UNT turned to waste and recycling
collections into a more efficient operation, encouraged more environmentally sustainable
practices across campus, and yielded immediate operational savings. The BigBelly receptacles
have a solar compactor that helps reduce the frequency staff need to empty the bins.
The receptacles also have software that alerts staff when the bins need to be tended.
Because the bins contain disposed waste items in an enclosed space, trash is less
likely to escape the bins preventing litter from blowing across campus.
This project was initially proposed in 2014 with the support of UNT Facilities. This project was implemented during the 2015 fiscal year.