Go Green?

Maria Nowak

Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green,” and for MSU’s campus-wide recycling initiative, the muppet’s statement rings true.

Since its creation in the 1990s, MSU’s recycling initiative has expanded to include a comprehensive office paper program and other programs for newspapers, magazines, printer cartridges, corrugated cardboard and other paper products including bound books and brochures.

A student living in university apartments can drop off a wide array of recyclables to the 24-hour recycling drop-off centers located at Spartan Village and Cherry Lane.

Recycling in the residence halls, however, remains considerably limited.

It seems unreasonable for them to only offer recycling for office paper (in administrative areas), corrugated cardboard, mixed paper and water bottles (in some only) since the residence halls are where a significant amount of student recycling needs are.

It also seems ridiculous that the cafeterias often do not have a system in place in order to recycle properly. The lack of a broader program where they live has left a significant amount of students disgruntled and seeking solutions to this important issue.

At the start of the Fall 2007 semester, there was a water bottle drop-off container on the 3rd floor of Case Hall, home to James Madison College. Within a few weeks, however, the container was removed leaving students wondering why.

Erin Seavoy, a James Madison freshman and Case Hall resident offered a possible explanation.

Seavoy is taking an Honors Research Seminar whose goal is to expand water bottle recycling in the residence halls. She and her seminar group discovered that the container was removed because it could not accommodate the massive flow of bottles coming from students.

Over the summer the container remained intact on the 3rd floor to serve the faculty who worked there. When students came in August, the container proved insufficient for the large flow of bottles coming in by September.

The water bottle container is now in the faculty lounge on the south side of Case Hall, well out of the reach of students. Following the advice of a source, Seavoy and the rest of the seminar class went to Case Hall government to ask them to request another bin to be brought in.

“We asked Case Hall government if they would be interested in talking to MSU recycling and asking for water bottle recycling bins,” Seavoy explained. “The Case Hall government showed great interest, unfortunately, it turns out that only the hall director manager is able to ask for the bins,”

Now the seminar must look for new ways to attain their goal.

Ruth Daoust, Program Education Manager for MSU Surplus/Recycling, said there are many challenges that face a school with one of the largest housing programs in the nation.

“One of the biggest challenges that we have at MSU is storage and space within the residence halls to be able to collect [recyclables],” Daoust said.

There are also operational costs, resources, and staffing that need to be considered before moving ahead with the program. Despite all these tasks needed to be coordinated, Daoust said that the recycling program in the residence halls will have visible proof of its progress, hopefully, by winter break.

Snyder-Phillips is the test subject for the initiative to expand recycling within the residence halls this fall. From the knowledge and experience gained in Snyder-Phillips, more expansive programs in Williams, Shaw, Holmes and Hubbard will be created in accordance with the distinct characteristics of each hall.

“We’ve been given a deadline and it’s less than a year that every hall on campus will be having a comprehensive recycling program,” Daoust confirmed. “It’s all a green light everywhere.”

The only thing that would prolong the initiative from expanding across campus would be the making sure that all kinks in the program are worked out in order for it to carry on for years.

“You’ve got to create a sustainable program and get all the bugs worked out, before you start spreading it across campus,” Daoust clarified.

So, this next year will be one of immense growth for recycling in the residence halls, and it will be intriguing to see if the change can be brought about as efficiently and swiftly as Daoust declared.

In the meantime, students who have an issue with the recycling in their residence hall are encouraged to call the hall manager.

If students note a problem with recycling in the academic buildings, such as bins overflowing in high-traffic areas like Wells Hall, call the recycling hotline (355-1723) and let them know.

Students can also contact recycling services if they want to become more involved with the evolution of MSU recycling.

Daoust noted that they were always looking for students to become a part of the initiative because the success of the program largely depends on our attitudes.

If enough students raise their voices and speak out about what they want in terms of a program and become informed and active about recycling on campus, we can truly start to make MSU green.