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Grounds

Our Mission

The function of Grounds Services is to provide excellence in environmental care while enhancing the exterior academic atmosphere. The University has many historically important trees and buildings and the approach to landscaping these areas has to be accomplished with great care and attention to detail.

Our Mission is to provide the best professional services to the University which ensure that the campus is well maintained, environmentally sensitive, and esthetically pleasing to our students and faculty. Our objective is to maintain the beauty of the campus in order to support, and increase a healthy, safe learning background. The Grounds Services Department works to support the Statement of Purpose of the University and operates under the supervision Facilities Management.

Facts & Figures

  • A staff of 24 full time employees provide services to over 500 acres on the central campus.
  • Grounds Services staff plant approximately 23,300 seasonal color plants, 2000 tulip bulbs a year.
  • Grounds Services maintains 18,915 square feet of seasonal color beds.
  • There are approximately _15 acres of Bermuda 419 turf. 100 acres are common Bermuda, 5  acres are zoysia,
  • Since 2009, Grounds Services has planted over 700 trees.
  • The University currently has 300 metal bollards on St. Mary and Rex with over 2200 linear feet (0.4 miles) of chain between the bollards.
  • There is over 4.5 miles of street on campus that the Grounds sweeps and or backpack blows on a weekly bases.
  • There over  14.5 miles of side walk that are edged and blown.
  • The average amount of waste collected after a home football game is roughly 200 cubic yards or approximately 25 tons. It takes roughly 100 to 120 hours to clean up after each game.
  • The campus is over seeded with perennial rye 4500 pounds of seed to complete the seeding

Dumpster Use

The University of Louisiana provides trash collection dumpsters on campus and are currently serviced by Allied wasted management company. These dumpsters are for the University of Louisiana community's use and are only to be used for the disposal of campus generated material. The disposal of private household waste anywhere on the University of Louisiana campus is prohibited. Due to the unknown contents of a trash container and the associated potential safety hazards, it is prohibited on campus for individuals to enter or remove items from dumpsters or other trash receptacles. We also have Black trash receptacles insert picture place all over campus and in the parking garage. We also have recycle/trash receptacles on the corner of Rex street and St Mary as well as 2 in the Quad.

We are moving toward the days when practically anything could be sent to the landfill are long since passed. If you have any questions about what items are permitted to go into a dumpster, accidentally discard an item into a dumpster, or if you wish to report hazardous material(s) improperly placed into a dumpster or campus trash receptacle, please contact Grounds Services at 337-482-1065.

Please note the following:

Dumpster Do’s:

  • Place items inside dumpster, do not stack items outside dumpster, the dumpster cannot be emptied if items are stacked or blocking the dumpster.
  • Broken glass should be placed in a cardboard box, taped shut, and marked as broken glass prior to its placement in the trash dumpster.
  • If you are unsure how to properly dispose of your campus waste contact Environmental, Health & Safety or Grounds Services Department.
  • If you need a dumpster serviced call Grounds Services 337-482-2001.

Dumpster Don'ts:

  • Don't enter a dumpster for any purpose
  • Don't climb on a dumpster for any reason.
  • Don't scavenge.
  • Don't park in front of a dumpster.

The following items should NOT be placed into our trash dumpsters at any time:

  • *Any bio-hazardous, radioactive, hazardous, regulated medical waste.
  • Any University of Louisiana items containing a property sticker, (Contact Communications & Marketing Department at 337-482-6397).
  • Any appliances- including but not limited to refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, stoves, ovens, grills and dehumidifiers. (Contact Grounds Services, 337-482-2001)
  • *Cell phone batteries, rechargeable batteries.
  • Automobile batteries, tires, motor oil, (Contact Motor pool at 337-482-6109)
  • *Paint, rollers, buckets, spray cans.
  • *Any aerosol can containing materials.
  • Carpet
  • Metal
  • Wood
  • Furniture
  • Private household waste or yard waste
  • Construction or demolition debris
  • Charcoal
  • Cigarettes, cigars or objects that may be burning
  • *Smoke detectors.

*Please contact the Environmental, Health & Safety Office at 337-482-1840 for guidance on proper disposal.

How can I best care for my yard at home?

10 Tips for Curb Appeal Around Your House

By: Jeff McManus, Director of Grounds Services, University of Mississippi

1. Keep your beds protected and looking fresh with mulches such as pine straw, wood chips or pine bark. Mulches are not only esthetically pleasing, but also help stop weeds, hold in moisture for plant roots, and help prevent soil crusting and help prevent erosion.
2. Keep turf lines and hard edges such as sidewalks & curbs edged. Grass growing into shrub beds and over hard surfaces detract from the defined look of the yard. Crisp bed lines of mulch next to turf give great definition to any yard.
3. Develop any "eye for detail" and see the little things that make a yard gorgeous. For example, don't let hedges get over grown or cover up windows and put the right plant in the right location. If you are constantly fighting a shrub to stay small, you may have the right plant, but in the wrong location.
4. Keeping life simple is important. Grounds maintenance can be simple if you take the time up front to plan and invest the right way. You will enjoy your yard more if you do not constantly have to go back and do the same dreadful task over and over again. Find simple ways to manage the yard. I hate to pull weeds, so I don't. I use pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides to control weeds. The thrill of the kill saves me time to do other things I really like to do in the yard.
5. Do you have low hanging limbs that hit you in the face when you mow? If so, lift those limbs up and enjoy the view as well as not getting slapped by a limb every week.
6. Seasonal and perennial flowers, such as impatiens and daylilies are great for color. Pick out or create focal points around the yard such as entrances, curves, pots, and hanging baskets that may "wow" your guest and you.
7. Pick the right plant for the location. Some plants like to stay tight and grow well next to the sidewalks such as Nandina. Others do not, they may like to stay tight and enjoy growing big and wild like Eleaganus.
8. Over-seed your lawn or repair areas with sod. Make sure you water the lawn when needed. Bare spots take away from the overall appearance of the yard.
9. Mow turf with sharp blades. Do not remove more than 1/3 off the height of the turf canopy with any one mowing. Do not "scalp" the lawn with weed-eaters.
10. Do not be afraid to ask for assistance. I have seen many folks waste time and money on a hobby they enjoy because they do not want to develop a plan or seek out advice. Ten minutes of knowledge can turn an ordinary yard into a lush garden of interest, color and excitement.