Recycling
written by: Mary Harner, Alicia Lyttle , David Miller, Kara Seevers, Nikki Thanos
Why Recycle?
Reduce solid wastes going to landfill.
Save money on tipping fees to landfill.
Reduce energy, water, and pollutants associated with manufacturing new products.
Save trees.
Reduce ozone depletion and global warming.
Encourage students to develop habit of recycling.
Help make Tulane the "Environmental University of the South".
Tulane's Recycling Program: Past
In September of 1990 Tulane Environmental Project (TEP) started a recycling program at Tulane University. The program's recycling coordinator, Dan Weiner, was a 1990 Tulane graduate from the School of Architecture. At this time the Tulane Recycling Center served both Tulane and the uptown community. The recycling center accepted glass, aluminum, tin, newspaper, and corrugated cardboard.
During the early 1990s, CACTUS (Community Action Council of Tulane University Students) organized student volunteers to collect recyclables throughout the uptown campus and to take these recyclables to the Recycling Center. During the 1992-93 academic year the Green Club, a student environmental organization, took over the CACTUS recycling program and organized Recycle Tulane. Recycle Tulane was also a student volunteer program where Tulane students collected and sorted recyclables for the recycling center. The recycling coordinator was again a student, Blain Paxton.
We were unable to obtain much information about campus recycling between fall 1993 and fall 1995. During the 1993-94 academic year there were some recycling bins placed in resident halls. Keith Hook, current Recycling Coordinator, said these bins were transferred downtown to the Tidewater building.
In the fall of 1995 the Green Club, with the help of the Associated Student Body, purchased several recycling bins known as Profile 6000s and placed them on each quad with residence halls. According to Hook, these bins are serviced three times a day. In fall 1995 TEP again began work on campus recycling. In the spring of 1996, with suggestions by TEP, the Department of Housing and Residence Life and the Green Club made a contract for campus-wide recycling. In accordance with the contract, Housing and Residence life purchased 248 bins for the residence halls at a cost of $4,243. These bins were placed in the residence halls in the fall of 1996. Housing maintenance put a new clause in the custodial service contract (Jani-King) stating that workers would empty the bins and take the recyclables to a central location daily. Physical Plant agreed to replace any lost bins and ensured that the bins purchased for residence hall use would not be redistributed to other areas of campus. Campus Recycling agreed to make arrangements for disposal of the recycled materials on a daily basis. The Green Club and Residence Hall Association were to provide incentives, such as contests, environmental awareness program, etc. to encourage students to utilize the bins (from memorandum RE: Campus -wide recycling, April 15, 1996).
Tulane Recycling: Present
At present (April, 1997), Tulane recycles glass (all colors), aluminum, white ledger, cardboard, newspaper, tin, scrap metal, computer paper, and mixed paper. Tulane has never recycled Styrofoam, does not compost yard or food wastes, and continues to pay to have these recyclable materials dumped into the landfill.Tulane once had a plastic recycling program. According to Mike Stringer, Support Services Supervisor of the Physical Plant Department, plastic recycling was discontinued because the recycling department lacked the space and workers to handle the large amounts of generated plastic. However, now that there is curb-side recycling uptown, plastic accumulation at the recycling site should be less, so the stream of plastics being stored might be less today than it was five years ago. Keith Hook said that if the University provided his department with a larger collection site his staff could handle the plastics generated and it would be no problem to reinstate the program. There are some recycling bins located throughout campus, but more bins are needed in high traffic areas. Many offices utilize paper bins for recycling. There are also bins on each residence hall floor on the uptown campus. The residence hall bins are emptied by Jani-King workers. However, the bins have white liners, rather than clear liners, and the recyclables in the bags are difficult to identify. According to Mike Stringer, Support Services Supervisor of Physical Plant Department (Keith Hook's supervisor), the bins are supposed to be lined with clear bags. We are uncertain if these bags of recyclables are actually being recycled since it is difficult to see what is in the bags. Furthermore, students are putting other garbage in the bins that are contaminating the recyclables.
In conclusion, Tulane has made some progress in recycling by placing bins in the residence halls and in offices. However, measures need to be taken to assure these bins are being used correctly (Are custodial staff sending material to drop spots?, Are students utilizing the bins correctly? etc.). Furthermore, more recycling bins need to be placed throughout campus so that recycling is convenient for everyone. Students, staff, and administrators need to let it be known that Tulane wants and will maintain campus recycling. If we are to truly become the "Environmental University of the South" we need to continue to institute a solid campus recycling program.
Facts and Figures
Tulane's recycling program operates on a small budget of approximately $50,000 a year. Included in the budget are the salaries of three full time employees. We had a difficult time obtaining information about the budget and the amount of money generated/saved from recycling. Some of the budget information we did acquire was misleading because it included data from the period before uptown curbside recycling started. For example, Keith's notes show that in 1994-95 Tulane's Uptown Campus generated 3,079.23 tons of solid wastes of which 824.14 tons (27%) were recycled. This material recycled was from not only Tulane, but also from the surrounding the community. Therefore, much less than 27% of the Tulane waste stream was recycled. Now that curbside recycling has been implemented by BFI for local residents, Tulane has faced a decrease in the amount of recyclables generated.
Tulane recycles an estimated 15% of its total solid wastes. A Tulane Green Club's waste stream analysis reveal that 84% of Tulane's solid waste stream is comprised of recyclable materials, 58.5% of which, according to Keith Hook, the University has markets. Tulane continues to face increased tipping costs at local landfills. On January 1, 1997 tipping fees were again increased to $32.29/ ton (from $30.19/ton). With such high tipping fees, money could be saved by diverting solid wastes from the landfill.
In compiling this information, we found it extremely difficult to get up-to-date ('95-96) itemized information detailing the tonnage of each material recycled. In August of '96, the Refuse and Recycling Departments underwent a massive restructuring. Since that time, employees and directors within the departments seem to be unclear as to who's responsibility it is to compile the Vista Fiber tickets itemizing the recycling stream. Before the restructuring, Keith Hook issued all the reports and compiled information from all the recycling companies. However, Hook now says that he is unable to keep up with the reports because he simply does not receive them from the people that transport the recyclables to Vista Fibers- Stringer has some, the Refuse department has some, etc. As of now, itemized accounts of materials recycled in the last fiscal year are unavailable.
Suggestions for Improving Campus Recycling
1. Place more recycling bins in high-traffic areas on campus.
A brief summary of campus locations where bins are needed:
Cans: Percival Stern breezeway
Richardson 117 by trash cans
Dinwiddie between rooms 123 & 124
U.C. Mezanine/Pederson Lounge
Boggs lobby
Paper:Richarson computer labs
U.C. Mezanine/Pederson Lounge
2. Paint bins the same color and clearly label them. Ensure that recycling bins look alike so they are easily recognized and distinguished from trash cans.
3. Keep updated progress reports on recycling and make this information available so that students and administration can see what areas need improvement and what areas are doing well.
3. Use clear liners in residence hall recycling bins so contents are visible and disposed in the correct recycling bin.
4. Keep the Profile 6000s clean on the exterior (some of these are covered in bird droppings and are too dirty to touch).
5. Create incentive programs between offices and residence halls to reward areas that recycle the most each month.
Campus Resources
Keith Hook
Recycling Coordinator, Physical Plant Department
(504) 865-5431
John McLachlan, Ph.D.
Center for Bioenviromental Research
(504) 585-6910
Michael Stringer
Support Services Supervisor, Physical Plant Department
(504) 865-5169