Tara Pike

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UNLV Sustainability Coordinator/Recycling Manager
Expertise: Recycling, Sustainability, Environment

Biography

Tara Pike, sustainability coordinator and manager of the UNLV Recycling Program, is an expert on waste reduction, recycling, and resource management on campus.

Since joining UNLV in the 1990s as an environmental studies undergraduate, Pike has championed green living. She founded the Rebel Recycling Program in 1995, and has led efforts that increase environmental awareness at UNLV and throughout Southern Nevada. Since 2003, Pike's program has recycled more than 5,600 tons of material on campus.

Pike also serves as Vice President of Campus Race to Zero Waste, a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation that teaches universities how to reduce or eliminate waste.

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environment, social issues, sustainability

Tara Pike In The News

7@7 VIDEO: How Tara Pike turned dumpster diving at UNLV into a 30-year career
Las Vegas Review Journal
From dumpster diving to developing a recycling program, this UNLV graduate aims to continue making a difference on campus.
How Tara Pike turned dumpster diving at UNLV into a 30-year career
Las Vegas Review Journal
It’s easy to miss the campus recycling center, housed in a small dirt lot on the corner of Flamingo Road and University Center Drive. Somewhat unseen in a tucked-away part of the campus, the program’s impacts are immense. “When I used to give presentations back in the 2000s, I’d say, ‘We used to do 2 tons a week. Now, we do 2 tons a day,’” Pike said. “Eventually, that became 4 tons a day.”
Rebel Recycling founder marks 30 years of change at UNLV
Las Vegas Sun
Tara Pike is no stranger to dumpster diving. In the early 1990s, she was among the first students at UNLV to pursue a degree in the newly established environmental studies program, and she devoted years to research that ultimately reshaped the university’s approach to campus recycling operations. Three decades later, Pike leads the university’s recycling program, working to establish UNLV as a model of campus sustainability.  
Recycle your Christmas tree to keep it out of landfills
K.S.N.V. T.V. News 3
Many people keep their Christmas trees up until after the New Year, but there's an eco-friendly way to dispose of them. Recycling your real tree can help keep it out of landfills. Tara Pike from UNLV's Facilities Management shared more about this initiative.
All Tara Pike In The News

Articles Featuring Tara Pike

UNLV Newsmakers 2026: February
Campus landscape
Campus News | March 3, 2026

Some of the hottest headlines featuring UNLV faculty, staff, and students.

Annual Southern Nevada Christmas Tree Recycling Effort Begins Dec. 26
UNLV logo on snowflake ornament
Business and Community | December 18, 2025

For three decades, UNLV and community organizations have hosted program to turn Christmas trees into mulch for local parks and residents; nearly 10,000 trees recycled in 2024.
 

All Articles Featuring Tara Pike