Sustainability / Recycling
The Courtyards at the University of Maryland would like to be committed partners with you, our residents, in the pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle for all who call this community home. We have established a community wide effort aiming to reduce wasteful consumption of our energy resources.
We have, and will continue to, post tips on ways to reduce energy consumption throughout the year. We will also send the tips via Twitter, Facebook, and email in an effort to keep this initiative moving year-round. A few tips are listed below:
Sustainability
Lights: Use a Lamp. Study by a lamp instead of lighting an entire room. Use Natural Light. If you don’t need lights, don’t turn them on.
Energy: Turn off lights, lamps, computers, printers, TVs, radios, and any other equipment when not in use. Unplug It. Many electronics such as TVs, computers, cell phone chargers, electric razors, etc. still use power when they are plugged in. If you have a second refrigerator, consolidate food into one refrigerator and unplug the other.
Use Fans: Since ceiling fans use only about as much electricity as a light bulb, they use about two percent of the electricity of a central air system.
Air Condition Wisely: If the heat and humidity is too much to be handled through natural ventilation and with the use of fans, then the air conditioner should be used. Set the temperature to 78°F and close all windows. Turn the A/C off or set the temperature higher when you leave the house.
Heat Wisely: In the winter, set your thermostat to 68°F. Set it cooler at night and when nobody is home. Make sure windows, doors, and any other openings are shut tightly; if you feel cool air coming in from outdoors, fix it!
Recycling
Here at the Courtyards we are able to “commingle” our recyclables! That means you can put all of your recyclable items into one container without sorting, and the sorting will be done by the recyclers. Commingled Recycling is easy and accepts a wide range of materials. Recycling reduces the amount of garbage you put out for collection, which helps us all in the long run! Below is a list of items that CAN be recycled:
- Paper: Newspaper, magazines, computer paper
- Plastic Containers: #1-7 bottles, jugs, trays, etc.
- Cardboard: cereal boxes, frozen food packaging, etc.
- Aluminum: cans, containers, foil, pie pans, etc.
- Books: paperback, textbooks, hardback, phone
- Steel/Tin Cans: soup cans, fruit cans, etc.
- Waxed Cartons: milk and juice cartons
- Glass: jars and bottles
- Plastic Bags/Film: must be contained within one bag