Making the campus sustainable and environmentally friendly is a significant focus for our Buildings & Grounds team. As part of this effort, they worked with our janitorial vendor, DTZ, to change all of the trash bags on campus to the greenest bags currently available, making Simmons the first and only college in the area to take this step.

The new bags, provided by Revolution Bag, contain up to 95% post-consumer recycled content, a stark contrast to the bags used previously, which contained only 10% pre-consumer recycled content. Each bag is made of resin that was once used in irrigation tubes for farming. The same company that makes the tubes then collects them, recycles them, and manufacturers new bags from the recycled materials. This process creates a closed loop, leaving behind no materials used in the original manufacturing process.

In addition to being an environmentally conscious product, the bags are also stronger and more durable, making them safer for our janitorial staff to handle. Another added benefit is cost savings: the new bags are less expensive and Simmons will use fewer throughout the year.

This is just one step in an ongoing effort to reduce waste and shrink our environmental impact across campus. To find out more about sustainability efforts at Simmons, visit Green Simmons. If you’re interested in getting involved or sharing new ideas for greening the campus, contact Sara Smith.