As students return to campus for the fall semester, there are many opportunities to help in Ohio University's recycling and sustainability efforts - an important goal for the University for the benefit of all Bobcats.

OHIO's Sustainability Plan calls for an 80 percent recycling rate in 2016.

According to Andrew Ladd, recycling and zero waste manager, over each of the last two years Ohio University students, faculty and staff have kept more than 7 million pounds per year of valuable materials out of the landfill through recycling, composting, donation and reuse.

"To achieve an 80 percent recovery rate sounds huge, and in fact it is," Ladd said. "But as a campus community, to accomplish this goal, all we need to do is to recycle one more pound per person per week."

Last year's move-in effort alone saw the recovery of tons of cardboard and other recyclable packaging in a single weekend. This year, special collection sites will be located outside of every residence hall for all Styrofoam, cardboard, plastic packaging, and packing materials. Alongside those sites there will be mixed-stream recycling bins that are used yearlong to capture paper, aluminum, steel, glass, cardboard, and #1 through #7 plastics which include things like things like plastic bags, water bottles, empty milk cartons and detergent bottles.