During the transition from the summer months to the school year, waste disposal at RPI doubles, yet ironically and shockingly, the percent of materials recycled is halved. This fact prompts at least one question: what, if anything, will motivate a student to recycle his or her own refuse? Will statistics showing the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions or the acres of forest preserved due to recycling help? Or will this always be a matter of convenience? After all, many students would say that it is far easier to drop recyclables into the trash sitting right next to one’s desk than into the recycling bin down the hall.
At RPI there is more than just the convenience problem that will need to be resolved to create a more effective recycling program. Let’s suppose that students do recycle. Sometimes custodians just throw everything in the same dumpster. The ultimate blame, however, is not on the staff. They probably know that they are supposed to put waste materials in their appropriate locations, but when this requires an extra flight of stairs or similar inconvenience, it becomes difficult to justify the extra effort with respect to their wages and existing struggles. Threats of another strike make this an even more delicate issue.
There are obvious environmental incentives to recycle. Recycling saves trees, helps protect wildlife habitats and biodiversity, and helps curb global warming, among other things. But the benefits of recycling go beyond what some may call a bunch of “tree-hugging hippie crap.” Last year, the recycling program, overseen by Steve Davis, the new full-time campus greening coordinator, saved the institute $50,000 that would have been spent on trash removal. Trash removal is paid for by the ton, whereas recycling services are free. When you consider that an average professor’s office can produce up to 2,000 pounds of paper in a single year and that paper is 100 percent recyclable, it is not difficult to recognize the financial benefits from recycling it.
Ecologic has been promoting many recycling activities on the Rensselaer campus. In addition to Ecologic’s initiatives, this semester there is another group of students that is working on improving the recycling program on freshman hill. These students are investigating problems associated with both the collection and disposal phases stemming from political issues and matters of simple convenience. They are also going to look at major building and system design flaws that prevent materials from being properly disposed of. Solutions are entirely feasible, but nothing can be done without the voluntary cooperation of students and administration alike.
Until such cooperation produces a more effective campus recycling program, you can try to lower your own ecological footprint by walking to the nearest recycling bin and throwing away your empty plastic bottle. Almost every plastic bottle, soda or not, is recyclable! You can learn more about other recycling initiatives if you stop by the Environmental Education Center in Sage 2410. At the EEC, you can recycle your batteries, along with paper and plastic. You can also buy header paper notebooks made by the members of Ecologic to support greening initiatives at Rensselaer. These activities will be featured among many exciting events at Earth Fest which is coming up on April 25.
If you have ideas or input regarding these issues, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Jason Davenport at recycle@siegemusic.com and Marija Kuzmanovic at kuzmam@rpi.edu.
