JHU recycling boosted by competition
Outside Gilman and MSE are brown canisters topped with green; the recycling bins are one of a variety of initiatives to increase participation in the recycling program at Homewood.
Important to the expansion of student participation is the launch of RecycleMania, a national contest. The competition is being run by several student groups, such as Students for Environmental Action (SEA), HEAT and ECO-reps.
This is Hopkins's first year participating in the program; the statistics of Hopkins recycling are lower than they should be. Currently, the University is recycling around 20 percent of its waste, when it should be recycling 40 to 50 percent.
Richard Abraham, the Manager of Recycling and Solid Waste, has enacted several changes in Hopkins changes in the recycling program since he began working at Hopkins in 2007.
"One of my concerns was the unsightliness of the way things were being handled. Loose trash bags were being thrown outside and piled in front of buildings," Abraham said.
The University began improving the program with the implementation of "toters," or larger plastic containers, in many buildings like Bloomberg, the Recreation Center and the library.
Along with the switch to toters, the recycling program has also been streamlined by replacing individual trash containers with compacters, more modern, consolidated equipment in a single storage area and the hiring of students to work part-time for the department.
Even with these improvements, Abraham asserts that there is further room for improvement. "We need students to be our ears and eyes to make sure the custodians are doing their jobs," he said.
Among the problems with the current program is that the recycling bins are not well-marked; a green lid signifies recycling, while an open top is for trash. Sometimes the custodial staff members mix up the black bags for trash with the white bags for recycling.
The impact of recycling on the University is two-fold: environmental and the monetary. While the University is concerned about the state of the environment, the production of less trash and an increase in recycling is financially beneficial, according to Abraham. Money is lost in tipping fees for trash removal and the University is paid for recycling. SEA is in close collaboration with the Hopkins recycling department.
Important to the expansion of student participation is the launch of RecycleMania, a national contest. The competition is being run by several student groups, such as Students for Environmental Action (SEA), HEAT and ECO-reps.
This is Hopkins's first year participating in the program; the statistics of Hopkins recycling are lower than they should be. Currently, the University is recycling around 20 percent of its waste, when it should be recycling 40 to 50 percent.
Richard Abraham, the Manager of Recycling and Solid Waste, has enacted several changes in Hopkins changes in the recycling program since he began working at Hopkins in 2007.
"One of my concerns was the unsightliness of the way things were being handled. Loose trash bags were being thrown outside and piled in front of buildings," Abraham said.
The University began improving the program with the implementation of "toters," or larger plastic containers, in many buildings like Bloomberg, the Recreation Center and the library.
Along with the switch to toters, the recycling program has also been streamlined by replacing individual trash containers with compacters, more modern, consolidated equipment in a single storage area and the hiring of students to work part-time for the department.
Even with these improvements, Abraham asserts that there is further room for improvement. "We need students to be our ears and eyes to make sure the custodians are doing their jobs," he said.
Among the problems with the current program is that the recycling bins are not well-marked; a green lid signifies recycling, while an open top is for trash. Sometimes the custodial staff members mix up the black bags for trash with the white bags for recycling.
The impact of recycling on the University is two-fold: environmental and the monetary. While the University is concerned about the state of the environment, the production of less trash and an increase in recycling is financially beneficial, according to Abraham. Money is lost in tipping fees for trash removal and the University is paid for recycling. SEA is in close collaboration with the Hopkins recycling department.
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