Every resident hall has its own recycling dumpster, according to Kate Witte, the sustainability coordinator on campus, but despite this, they are not used as often as the trash dumpsters that are close in proximity to the recycling ones.
Witte said that she knows students are not using the recycling dumpsters as much as the trash dumpsters because of a system the college’s waste management uses. When the trash is picked up to be brought to the landfill or to be recycled, waste management measures the haul-off numbers, which is how much is in each dumpster measured in tons.
Witte also mentioned the fact that there is contaminated recycling, which is the stuff that is put in the recycling dumpster that can’t be recycled, an example being plastic bags.
Witte suspects it is because of the convenience of just throwing everything in one dumpster.
“Oftentimes what’s in your recycling bin might be smelly, and recycling is not exactly the most convenient because you have to rinse out your plastic,” Witte said. “If you have cans, you have to rinse them, and I think that because things are already bagged, most people are putting a bag in their recycling bin. Once it’s in the [trash] bag it’s just as easy to throw your trash and your recycling into one dumpster instead of going through the effort to separate both.”
“I also think if you grew up or went to high school recycling, if it’s a practice that you already have, those students are probably doing that. And not just students – faculty and staff too,” Witte added. “If it’s something you do at home, you’ll probably do it here, and if it’s not, you probably won’t.”
According to E&I Cooperative Services, “Two of the most common reasons students cite for not recycling are challenges in finding recycling stations and confusion over which materials are recyclable. Careful placement of recycling bins aids in making them more accessible. Customizing recycling solutions with school colors, logos, or mascots can also help with awareness, and clear signage can help relieve sorting challenges.”
Additionally, The Times Higher Education states that “Encouraging the recycling of study materials so that students, by course and subject, can reuse others’ notes, as well as promoting the reuse of paper for class attendance” is one way to help promote recycling on campus.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
