RecycleMania

Annually, Denison participates in the national RecycleMania competition. Hundreds of colleges participate annually in the 10 week competition. The goal of Recyclemania is to increase awareness and inspire students to adopt more environmentally sustainable practices. As part of the 2011 competition, students participated in a trash sort to remove recyclable items from one day's trash that were incorrectly thrown away and then displayed them in the student union. In 2011, Denison finished first among Ohio colleges in recycling per capita, and 28th nationally with a recycled material amount of 28.25 lbs/person. Over the course of the competition Denison collected a total of 81,328 pounds of recyclables on campus, an increase from the previous year.

Denison Office Supply Exchange

Every year Denison faculty and staff take part in an office supply exchange or "freecycle" where office supplies that are no longer needed in one office or department are exchanged with another office. Items exchanged range from pens, pencils and folders to printer cartridges and desk organizers. By taking part in the exchange, offices are able to save resources and reduce department purchasing for items that are already in stock on campus.

Denison Surplus Sale

Each year the Purchasing Office at Denison conducts a surplus sale of used items that the college no longer needs nor intends to use. These items generally include: file cabinets, desks, tables, chairs, bed frames, mattresses, and various other dorm and office materials. Items can be purchased by Denison employees and non-profit organizations that service the local community. The goal of the sale is not necessarily to generate funds, but rather to ensure that usable items are not thrown into the trash or kept in storage until they become too old to be of value. The surplus sale is one of many ways that Denison works towards reducing its waste and impact on the environment.

Operation Move-Out

In an effort to reduce waste and encourage recycling and the reuse of discarded or unwanted items, Denison's Facilities Department organizes two annual events - Operation Move-In and Operation Move-Out.

Operation Move-In occurs in the beginning of the academic year. As students move into their residence halls, they often have extra boxes and bins. Facilities designates areas behind each residence hall to collect these items and and any unwanted items so that they can be donated to charity or recycled.

Operation Move-Out occurs annually at the end of the academic year. Collection tables are placed in every dorm for discarded items that are still usable. Starting on the last day of classes, students can deposit their items in the designated location. Facilities staff and various student volunteers collect the items and bring them to a central storage area on campus. Once collection is complete, local service agencies come and pick up the collected items. This year over 20 organizations came to take items.

DOWS Book Sale

Every year, right before spring break, DOWS holds a sale in Slayter Union. Books, videos, and DVDs are sold to students, faculty and staff. All of these items come from campus donations. The DOWS book sale is a great way to pick up a spring break read and to promote the reuse of materials, lowering the amount of good reads that get thrown away.