recycling on campus: is it really happening?

From Sven VanBaars:

This week I saw an increase in stuff in our recycling bins. Way to go!! A number of folks asked me about single stream recycling and how it works. Here is a quick run down.

All of our bins are taken to the recycling bin behind the refectory. It is near the garbage bins, but is smaller. WM, our contractor collects this bin once a week. Judith Schwartz in her new role with the Facilities Mgmt team monitors when this is collected. It is collected seperately from our garbage. From here it goes to a sorting facility in Elkridge MD that serves the DC metro area.

Here is a short film on how sorting works. (if link doesn't work: http://www.alexrecycles.org/video/wmvideo.html)

In case you are wondering, our garbage is taken to be burnt. Less than 2 miles southwest of VTS is a tall smoke stack where trash is burned to produce electricity. It is on Eisenhower near the VanDorn Metro station. Both processes, recycling and power-generation, reuse what we throw away, but the process of burning requires that sophisticated scrubbers and filters be used to keep toxins from entering the air. It is just more cost-efficient to recycle.

Kudos to Jacques Hadler, Matt MacDougall and Patrick Greene for the questions. Kudos to Drew Foisie for bringing new energy to our efforts.You can help our process on campus be better by removing lids from bottles before you put them in recycling.

Be Green,

Sven

Sven vanBaars, proving since 1962 that light travels faster than sound.Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.