One of the biggest problems contributing to the degradation of our environment today is waste. It is a well-documented problem in the United States that people throw away items that could be reusable, and then these items occupy space in a landfill with the hundreds of thousands of tons of additional trash that is thrown away each year. Well, good news ... there is something that we, the average American, can do to combat this problem: RECYCLE! Here in Athens, there is an extensive Campus Recycling program at Ohio University that contributes significantly to the sustainability of campus and makes use of its reusable resources. For more information on how this program works, I interviewed Ed Newman, director of Campus Recycling.
Newman says that the easiest and most efficient way for Ohio University students to participate in the sustainability of campus is to use the recycling bins that are available at every campus building. These bins, pictured below, separate newspapers, plastic bottles and aluminum beverage cans. When students use these recycling bins to properly dispose of such items, it makes it easier for the school janitors to collect the recycling. After this is done, the recyclable materials are sent off to the Campus Recycling plant on Dairy Barn Road to be sorted and reused.
Photo: Recycling bins lined up in Bentley Hall
Photo: Newspaper recycling bin
Photo: Recycling bin for plastic bottles
Photo: Recycling bin for aluminum beverage cans
According to Newman, Ohio University began its recycling program in 1990. Since then, it has developed into the current system, which is: using recycling bins around campus to collect reusable materials, sorting and revamping those materials at the Campus Recycling plant and then redistributing the reusable materials throughout campus. Newman says that with this system, approximately 30% of all recyclable materials that are thrown away on campus are saved and reused. However, he says that even with this rate, still nearly 70% of all waste that is thrown away on campus is actually recyclable. He advocates that students should be conscious about what they are throwing away and should take the time to make use of the recycling bins!
In addition to pushing for student contribution to the recycling program, Newman is also implementing several other ideas that will contribute to the Campus Recycling program. First, he and a team of workers at the Campus Recycling plant are starting a compost pile there. The university spent $3.5 million to make this project possible. Newman says that within 2 years, he and the team hope to have a fully-functioning compost pile to make use of all of the food waste that is generated by the university.
Secondly, the Campus Recycling program is introducing more environmentally-friendly products on campus. These include the innovative biodegradable place and utensils at the Baker University Center's food court. Also, Newman says the recycling program is trying to make recycled-content printing paper available at all computer labs throughout campus. Labs that current use recycled-content paper include the School of Communication Studies Lab in Lasher Hall, the Computer Services Center and several labs in Alden Library. Newman says he hopes to make recycled-content paper available in all campus computer labs by the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.
Finally, Newman says the Campus Recycling program is adopting a contract of "green purchasing policies." He says this involves a commitment made by the university as a whole to make smart purchasing decisions with regard to materials and to make every effort possible to not generate waste in the first place. One example that Newman cited of this policy in action involves the current construction on Porter Hall. Newman says that materials used during the renovation of the building will be saved and recycled. He says in the past, most notably with the renovation of Grover Center, all of the materials from the construction project were thrown away. So, this effort to recycle materials from the Porter Hall construction will be a big change for the university.
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