Kuusakoski supports sustainability goals of the University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a 181-year-old leading Catholic university in the US state of Indiana and strives to be a pioneer in sustainable development, education and research in concert with its faith-based mission and a storied athletics program.
The university brings together thousands of students, teachers and other staff representatives. Over the years, the partnership between Notre Dame and Kuusakoski has grown and deepened, bringing significant benefits to both parties.
INITIAL PARTNERSHIP
The University of Notre Dame and Kuusakoski began working together in 2015. In the early days of the partnership, collecting and recycling Notre Dame’s electronic equipment was simple. Materials were collected from various parts of the campus, such as classrooms, students, university offices and athletic events, and stored on site. When the warehouse was full, the university ordered a pick-up from Kuusakoski, which took care of logistics and recycling. The pricing of the service was based on the transport fee and the weight of the equipment to be recycled.
"A good partnership is based on continuous collaboration"
IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFICIENCY INCREASED RECYCLING AND REDUCED OVERALL COSTS
Due to the Covid pandemic, the university switched to online learning, so only essential staff worked on campus. The amount of material collected decreased, and in 2020 there were only two collections.
After the pandemic, in autumn 2021, the university launched a new recycling strategy for electronic devices that included, among other things, the hiring of a new IT contact person. The efficiency of material collection and sorting improved significantly, which also brought financial benefits to the university. In two years, the university collected as much material as in the five years before the pandemic.
”A good partnership is based on continuous collaboration. We are committed to helping the University of Notre Dame achieve their sustainability goals. One way we do this is by improving the university’s recycling processes and guiding them to sort more efficiently. We believe that this collaboration will not only contribute to sustainable development, but also create learning opportunities for both parties”, says Chris Proctor, CEO of Kuusakoski US.
Notre Dame’s strong commitment to sustainability involves much more than just complying with waste management programmes. It also includes using the stadium’s old bleachers in works of art.
