Colleges and Universities Use Dell Grants for Recycling Events

Recipients of the Dell awards are the University of California-San Francisco, University of Colorado-Boulder and Miami Dade College-Kendall Campus. Each of the selected higher education institutions will conduct a computer collection event at the end of the academic calendar year, to coincide with the student move-out period.

"Today's college students and faculty are environmentally aware and technologically sophisticated," said John Mullen, vice president of sales, Dell Higher Education. "Dell is helping students expand their education outside the classroom, and into their daily lives, by raising campus awareness of responsible ways to dispose of old computers."

Dell initiated the awards program to raise awareness of responsible product end-of-life options, keep computers out of landfills, empower colleges with a model for successful campus collection events and educate college students - the next generation of leaders - about responsible computer recycling.

"Conducting a no-charge computer collection event offers colleges and universities an outstanding opportunity to provide a service to the local community and to demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability," said Pat Nathan, director, Dell Sustainable Business. "By recognizing these higher education customers with this award, Dell continues to spread the message that no computer should go to waste."

The college and university award winners received technical assistance with planning their recycling events in a series of educational forums held in March and led by the National Recycling Coalition (NRC). The purpose of the technical assistance program was to provide opportunities for sharing best practices and lessons learned, in addition to encouraging peer-to-peer interaction among the participating college and university recycling coordinators.

"We're seeing more colleges and universities that recognize the need to provide recycling options to students moving out of their dorms and apartments at the end of the school year," said Kate Krebs, executive director of the NRC. "From textbooks to computers to couches, these materials can often be recycled or reused, as long as they are kept out of landfills in the first place."