UNLV, in partnership with Republic Services, has stepped up its commitment to sustainability with the installation of Southern Nevada's first solar-powered waste compactor on campus.
The compactor offers energy savings of at least 40 percent over traditional systems and has the potential to save much more with Southern Nevada's perpetually sunny climate.
"We continually look at our processes to find ways to reduce energy use while maintaining services on campus," said Tara Pike, UNLV sustainability coordinator. "Using the solar compactor is part of our global green initiative and our goal to lower our carbon footprint."
Republic Services is the regional distributor for the Green Built(R) solar compactor from Marathon Equipment Company. Marathon is the first company to incorporate sustainable solar power into industrial waste compaction systems.
"The solar technology has made our operations and collection capabilities more efficient for our customers. The installation of the solar compactors will reduce the overall carbon footprint for the university while conserving energy usage," said Joe Burkel, area president for Republic Services of Southern Nevada. "We are excited to make UNLV our first customer utilizing the new equipment and are eager to expand awareness of solar waste and recycling bin options for businesses across the greater Las Vegas Valley."
UNLV also plans to add solar recycling compactors in the near future as part of a campus initiative to find sustainable alternatives for all facilities and university sports venues. The university was recently awarded a silver rating for its sustainability efforts by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
