Where does our campus trash go?
On campus, when materials are placed in the trash, it is emptied by custodial or grounds staff, placed in our outdoor trash containers where it is picked up and taken directly to the landfill. Kent State University trash is sent either to Glenwillow Landfill in Cuyahoga County, 19 miles away from Kent State or Countywide Landfill in Stark County, 43 miles from campus. Landfills release methane, the most potent greenhouse gas. Landfills also produce “leachate,” a toxic fluid made up of pollutants like heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, benzene, pesticides and more. When we reduce waste, we reduce the amount of material being landfilled and the harmful byproducts of landfills.