BBN Tackles Plastic University of Kentucky now provides plastic bag drop-off bins on campus

Plastic bags going into the BBN Tackles Plastic collection bin.

BBN Tackles Plastic, an initiative aimed at reducing campus plastic waste through the collection of plastic bags in the residence halls. The new program will help remove plastic bags from campus landfill waste. In the Spring 2026 pilot, nearly 850 pilot bags were collected from Lewis Hall and University Flats.

Where are the drop-off locations?

Residence Halls

BBN Tackles Plastic's collection boxes are available in all residence hall lobbies across campus.

Campus locations

The Thrifty Cat
Patterson Office Tower (POT), 8th floor elevator lobby

Acceptable

Plastic bags from any store or restaurant.

Not Acceptable

Paper bags
Ziploc bags
Plastic film

UK Student adding plastic bags into the collection bin.

What happens to the plastic bags?

The plastic bags are donated to UK's Sustainability Future Leaders Club, an on-campus student organization. The club members upcycle these bags into sleeping mats which are provided to the unhoused through a partnership with The Hope Center.

You can support UK’s zero-waste initiatives by disposing of your unwanted plastic bags in any of the BBN Tackles Plastic bins.