If you didn’t quite get the hang of recycling in ’07, you’re in luck. Going green is still holding strong in 2008, and it is one of the best resolutions for you and the planet. Here is a refresher of where and what you can recycle while living on campus.
Co-mingles: cans (aluminum, steel), glass bottles, plastics bottles and containers (#1 and #2 type plastics).
Even with heightened environmental awareness, Americans still dispose of 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, throw enough glass bottles away every two weeks to have filled both of the World Trade Center towers and carelessly get rid of enough aluminum cans to rebuild a commercial airline fleet every three months, according to the Clean Air Council, a non-profit environmental organization.
Where you can recycle: All buildings on campus have receptacles where you can drop off clean cans and bottles.
Navy blue recycling units are in all common areas and/or lounges in residence halls. In different areas throughout the BCC and scattered on various floors in academic buildings there are receptacles with three dividers. There are bright blue bins located outside each townhouse; curbside pick-up is on Thursday, so put bins out on Wednesday.
Paper: printer, copier and cardstock paper, envelopes (with and without plastic), junk mail and flyers, cards and stationery, newspapers and magazines, Post-it notes, folders, carbonless paper, corrugated cardboard (break down first). (Note: Staples, rubber bands and tape are also OK to go in these bins if on these paper items).
Paper still remains a huge source of waste in the U.S. For every 100 pounds of trash that is thrown away, 35 pounds are paper. Newspapers take up about 14 percent of landfill space, and paper in packaging accounts for another 15-20 percent, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Where you can recycle: In addition to the three-slot recycling units throughout campus, here are other locations to recycle.
Small blue boxes are located in almost every academic classroom and building, as well as at the townhouses. Residents at the townhouses are asked to put newspapers and magazines in a separate paper bag for Thursday pick-up. Also, the large navy blue toters in the BCC are for paper.
Cardboard: corrugated boxes, which are most often packing boxes. (Note: Pizza boxes are not accepted because food residue can contaminate the entire load.)
Much like paper, cardboard still finds its way into the waste stream. According to Annenberg Media, cardboard and paper make up 41 percent of all garbage or municipal solid waste in the United States.
Where you can recycle: There are various dumpsters meant just for cardboard on campus. They are located between McAuliffe Hall and Alumni Hall, behind Xavier Hall, in the BCC, in the library and in the maintenance barn across from the Dolan School of Business.
“Techno” or electronic trash: cell phone and laptop batteries, CFLs, printer cartridges.
Remember VHS tapes, cassettes and VCRs? Fast-forward to today and that technology seems archaic to DVDs, MP3 files and iPhones. Much of these outdated materials are simply thrown out when they become obsolete, creating an immense environmental hazard. Besides discarded plastic, steel and glass, the EPA cites that “mercury from electronics” is a “leading source of mercury in municipal waste.”
Where you can recycle: Central Stores Department in McAuliffe Hall. Students can take their used printer cartridges to McAuliffe Hall or send them through campus mail. Many cartridges are often accepted by the company that made them and come with a pre-paid envelope.
However, centrally located recycling systems in the BCC, Bannow and the library that accept cell phone, laptop and iPod batteries and other small electronics for recycling will be added to campus soon.
Just remember, when it comes to the future of our natural world, ignorance is not bliss. Make 2008 the year you recycle.
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