November 12, 2009 — The University of Virginia will celebrate "America Recycles Day" Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a display in front of Thornton Hall on McCormick Road.

There will be a variety of participatory events, such as trying to guess the value, in energy, of a compacted bale of metal; displays, such as compost produced from food waste from Observatory Hill Dinning Hall; and a collection of recyclables left behind in the halls and rooms of New Cabell Hall.

Visitors can compare the tastes of bottled, tap and filtered water, testing the notion that the energy-consuming process of bottling water – and the resulting plastic waste – adds little or no taste value.

There will also be a "dumpster dive," in which students empty the contents of a randomly selected waste receptacle to see how much of it could have been recycled.

Local merchants working in sustainable businesses, including Van der Linde Recycling, will have booths. U.Va. Dining will display reusable take-away containers; purchasing guidelines for fair trade, local and organic foods; and local foods offered in the dining halls.

"America Recycles Day" is sponsored locally by Facilities Management's Recycling Division, with assistance from several student groups, including Green Dining, Conservation Advocates and Sustainability Outreach Students.

For information about recycling and sustainability at the University, visit virginia.edu/sustainability.