A Trashpicker's Perspective

Last Wednesday, EcoAction embarked upon a recycling raid. This has become somewhat of an annual tradition for us ("annual" in that we do it every year, "somewhat" in that it is not attached to any time whatsoever.)

You thought only pirates raided, huh?


We broke into two teams to canvas the public buildings on campus. Team A, of which I was a part, focused on Lauinger, and Team B did ICC and Leavey.

The lesson from Lauinger is very simple: Isolated trash cans are a disaster waiting to happen.

This is an issue which we have raised in the past, especially in the context of the trash cans in classrooms. As the idealist that I try to be, I believe that people, if there is a recycling bin and a trash can next to each other, will make the appropriate and intelligent decisions when disposing of their waste. However, when making such a decision requires extra time and effort, the success rate will not be quite so high. If there is a trash container next to your cubicle in Lau, where you have been for hours writing a paper, you will probably put your Odwalla bottle or Coke can in it out of pure convenience. Centralization of trash/recycling facilities is a must.

Also, one of the other major issues is a general lack of awareness of what can and cannot be recycled. For many years, people did not even believe that the University recycled at all (an urban myth, of course)--but that is a whole new blog post in and of itself.

Anyways, with the new blue receptacles that are in all indoor locations, one can recycle more than one could in the past. Here are a few notes about common misconceptions:

1) After you get your coffee fix at UG, Midnight, or MUG, you can recycle the lid (made of plastic) and the clutch (made of cardboard). Unless the cup appears to be waxed or lined, you can recycle that, too.

2) You can recycle anything plastic (short of plastic bags-which are treated differently). So, that means that your smoothie cup or your Panebella wrap container can go in with all of the other plastics.

3) Solo cups can be recycled--no need to waste when wasted.

If you ever have a deep, burning question about recycling, just ask us, and we'd be happy to answer or, if we don't know, find out.

Stay tuned for a smattering of new blog posts on interesting developments this week!

Georgetown Sees Gains in Recycling Competition

http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=41435

After a 10-week RecycleMania competition among more than 200 colleges and universities, Georgetown ranks among the top institutions finding ways to reduce solid waste on campus.

RecycleMania pits colleges and universities against each other for a friendly recycling contest. This year, the contest went global with U.S. institutions competing alongside colleges in Canada and India. Schools combined to recycle materials totaling 69.4 million pounds during the competition.

In waste minimization efforts, Georgetown ranked 22 out of 148 schools. The category is judged by which schools produce the least amount of municipal solid waste, including trash and recyclables. The university ranked No. 48 of 206 schools in the grand champion category, which measures overall recycling. Georgetown had an average recycling rate of about 37 percent, improving on a rate just under 26 percent in 2008.

University environmental leaders are pleased with Georgetown's RecycleMania showing, and say the Hilltop’s green efforts will continue to evolve.

"We have performed better this year in every category," says Karen Frank, vice president for facilities and student housing. "Most notable is that, in the last week of this year's competition, we recycled over 52 percent of our total waste. … Now we must focus on ways to achieve these numbers when we are not in a competition."

Reducing Georgetown's overall solid waste is a top goal of EcoAction, a student-run environmental education group, says member Jonathan Cohn (C'10). He wants those efforts to start with the ubiquitous disposable water bottles people carry.

"Without a doubt, I want to see a reduction in the consumption of bottled water. During my experience at GU, I have felt as though many believe that bottled water is better than tap water and that the offering of bottled water to someone conveys something specific," he says. "However, the consumption of bottled water produces a large amount of unnecessary waste."

There are easy alternatives, Cohn adds, including reusable bottles and filtered tap water.

Frank says her office shares Cohn's concern and notes that Georgetown had lower rankings in recycling cans and bottles, placing 117 out of 210 schools.

"This suggests that many recyclables are still being disposed of in regular trash," she says. "We have placed more recycling containers throughout Bunn ICC and are considering removing waste baskets from classrooms to encourage the use of the recycling containers in the corridors just outside the classrooms."

Georgetown's results during RecycleMania are:
• Ranked No. 22 of 148 in waste minimization
• Ranked 48 of 206 in overall recycling
• Ranked No. 88 of 293 in recycled gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard and bottle and cans with 158,371 pounds recycled
• Ranked No. 146 of 204 in paper recycling
• Ranked No. 71 of 204 in cardboard recycling
• Ranked No. 117 of 206 in bottle and can recycling With RecycleMania over for another year, Frank's office continues to collaborate with student groups to promote and institute environmental initiatives. She knows there is more work to do, especially to achieve a university recycling goal of 40 percent of all solid waste. Part of Frank's strategy is broader input from the university community.

"We have a lot of support and excellent suggestions from active students," she notes. "Now, we need to bring more faculty and staff into our awareness planning."

Final Recyclemania Statistics

Here are some highlights of the final Recyclemania statistics:

• Top 25% for Grand Champion competition (i.e. recycling rate)
• Top 15% for Waste Minimization
• Top 30% for Gorilla Prize (total)
• Top 35% for Cardboard Recycling

Grand Champion (out of 206)

48

Georgetown University

37.47 %

Per Capita Classic (out of 293)

178

Georgetown University

8.86

Waste Minimization (out of 148)

22

Georgetown University

23.65

Gorilla Prize (out of 293)

88

Georgetown University

158371.50

Paper (out of 204)

146

Georgetown University

2.69

Cardboard (out of 204)

71

Georgetown University

4.90

Bottles & Cans (out of 210)

117

Georgetown University

1.28

Weekly Recyclemania Stats

Where does Georgetown stand?

Here's what Jon has to say about this...

1) I find the standings in the Grand Champion to be the most impressive, for it shows that our recycling rate is in the top 25%.
2) The population of the campus listed on the website is 17,870, which includes all postgraduate students and all staff (including those at the Law Center and the Wisconsin Offices, respectively); consequently, I do not place as much personal attention on most of the per capita statistics.
3) However, despite the population concern, there is no point complaining about the benefit we receive in getting a top spot for waste minimization.


Grand Champion

50

Georgetown University

34.63 %

out of 204 (TOP 25%)

Per Capita Classic

191

Georgetown University

5.87

out of 292

Waste Minimization

20

Georgetown University

16.96

out of 151 (TOP 15%)

Gorilla Prize

93

Georgetown University

104952.00

out of 292 (TOP THIRD)

Paper

149

Georgetown University

1.86

out of 204

Cardboard

75

Georgetown University

3.33

out of 203 (TOP 40%)

Bottles and Cans

133

Georgetown University

0.69

out of 210

Weekly Recyclemania Stats

You've seen those recycling posters... curious about where Georgetown stands? Click for more - and keep on recycling!


Grand Champion (out of 202)

45

Georgetown University

35.47 %

Last week: Rank #43 (35.52%)

Per Capita Classic (out of 291)

183

Georgetown University

5.16

Last week: Rank #182

Waste Minimization (out of 150)

20

Georgetown University

14.55

Last week: Rank #21

Gorilla Prize (out of 291)

91

Georgetown University

92262.00

Last week: #88

Paper (out of 203)

153

Georgetown University

1.54

Last week: #155

Cardboard (out of 202)

73

Georgetown University

3.03

Last week: #69

Bottles and Cans (out of 209)

131

Georgetown University

0.59

Last week: #118