Berea College's recycling program began in 1991 with a campus group made up of faculty, staff, and students whose proposal stated, "Berea College has a moral responsibility to recycle its own waste and to provide leadership for students to carry out the values clearly expressed in our sixth Great Commitment- maintain our campus and…encourage in our students a way of life characterized by plain living, pride in labor well done, zest for learning, high personal standards and concern for the welfare of others."

Over the next ten years the Recycling Department continued to grow and was located in various areas on campus and operated along with the help of the Facilities Management Grounds Department. The main focus of the Recycling Department has remained constant: increased awareness and education about recycling and diverting recyclable material out of the waste stream and landfills.

The Berea College Recycling Department is currently staffed by one full-time labor supervisor and nine primary labor positions. The department serves the entire college campus including, administration, academic and student buildings. Students do a majority of the recycling pickups across campus. Recyclables are then brought back to the central recycling center and sorted out into eight different categories. Below are the eight different categories and the average monthly recycling weights (lbs.) for each category:

1. White Paper- 2,177
2. Mixed/Color Paper- 2,003
3. Newspaper- 1,959
4. Magazine/Glossy- 3,489
5. Brown Paper/Folders- 2,057
6. Fiberboard/Thin Cardboard- 932
7. Corrugated Cardboard- 2,256
8. Shredded Paper- 2,049

The recycling department also recycles aluminum and tin cans, plastic and glass bottles, scrap metal and most large appliances.

In the spring of 2000 Berea College made the commitment to improve the recycling program in all first year residence halls on campus. Enough bins for all the first year residence halls were purchased and the recycling center was doubled in size. A forklift and new scale were also purchased to meet the needs of the recycling center. The Recycling Department believes that with the continued support of the college community, the goals of increased recycling understanding will be met.

The Recycling Department is currently located at Facilities Management on Berea College's campus and is open Monday-Friday during regular business hours. Kevin Long is the recycling labor supervisor and can be contacted at 859-985-3844 or .