December 1998

Related Links Mason Recycling Center

Efforts to Revitalize Programs Are Under Way By Karen Louden Allanach A pop quiz on campus recycling has resulted in a failing grade for George Mason University. Recycling is down campuswide, and efforts are under way to heighten awareness and get faculty, staff, and students back on track for an environmentally sound campus. The university's waste and recycling program staff did a modified waste analysis last month that showed about 53 percent of the items discarded in the garbage on campus were recyclable. For the waste audit, two bags of garbage from dumpsters around campus were collected each day for five days and sorted. Sheri Stewart, waste and recycling manager, says that the campus has hit a plateau since the recycling program started six years ago. "People aren't stepping up to the next level," she notes. While many of us may remember to recycle one or two times a day, we aren't doing as much as we can, Stewart says. "We recycle, but it is a part-time thing." Numbers for 1997 show that the campus recycled about 28 percent of its trash, compared with about 32 percent in 1996. Ideally, the campus could be recycling 30 percent more than current statistics show, although an acceptable rate would be a 15-percent increase, Stewart says. To jump-start the campus on recycling, efforts will focus on placing additional recycling bins where needed and coordinating better recycling for campus events. Beyond an aggressive educational effort, a new type of waste and recycling bin will be used in new buildings on the three campuses and will slowly replace existing garbage cans and card- board recycling bins at other buildings. The new, three-part plastic bin is designed to be a one-stop shot for all trash and recyclable items. One section is for mixed paper, another for white paper, and the other for garbage. These bins are currently being used at the new Aquatic and Fitness Center. The bins are expected to result in less trash to haul away and increased recycling revenues. The new bins will be installed in one building per semester. Recycled items are collected once a week. For recycling collection, George Mason employs a number of disabled workers from area group homes and Virginia state agencies, as well as Mason students. The on-campus recycling center is located in Lot F and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For drop off, sort recycled items according to the specific recycle bin and remove any food debris before bringing items to the center. For more information, visit the George Mason Recycling website at www.gmu.edu/gmu/recycling.