Spring Break
Letters To The Editor
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Commentary
UConn Recycling Successful, But More Work Remains
UConn recycling is moving in the right direction. Since the new blue and green recycling containers went out in Spring 2007, paper recycling rates are up significantly. Between April and September newspaper recycling more than doubled, paper recycling in the library almost tripled, and campus mixed paper recycling is up 18 percent compared to the same period in 2006. This is a 76 ton increase over a six month period resulting in more than $6,000 in savings!
The recycling rate of bottles and cans has not increased so dramatically, however, and the improvement seen in paper recycling may just be the tip of the iceberg. We still need to make more improvements to our recycling infrastructure (more recycling bins), educate ourselves about what is and what is not recyclable, and continue making an effort to put recyclables where they belong. The Student Union, Dining Services, Student Health Services, the library and Facilities Operations are leading the way on the infrastructure front. While they keep up the good work and the rest of the campus jumps on the recycling bandwagon here are some answers to common questions about recycling that should help you to do your part. "Why should I recycle?" you may ask. Recycling is green in more ways than one. Recycling materials requires substantially less energy than making new products. For example, it takes 95 percent less energy to recycle an aluminum can than it does to make one from virgin material. These energy savings result in significant environmental and economic benefits. The EPA estimates the amount of material recycled in the U.S. in 2006 prevented the release of nearly 50 million tonnes of carbon emissions. That is the equivalent of taking 39 million cars off the road for one year. Perhaps even more mind-boggling is that aluminum, steel, paper, and plastic materials are worth a lot of money, and we have sent and continue to send billions of dollars worth of these materials to landfills and incinerators. So before you throw this newspaper in the trash, note that UConn pays the Willimantic Waste Paper Company $65 per ton for trash removal and UConn makes $20 for every ton of recyclables. For every ton of material recycled UConn saves $85. What can I recycle? We can recycle a lot at UConn. WilliWaste accepts plastic containers No. 1-7 so take note of the number on your plastics. We can also recycle aseptic juice and milk cartons, aluminum cans and foil, and all kinds of paper: white, colored, envelops, magazines, junk mail, books, those cardboard pieces that go around hot beverage paper cups, and much more. You can find the full guidelines of what is and what is not recyclable by clicking on the recycling link at ecohusky.uconn.edu. Why do you need to put recyclables in separate containers? Doesn't everything get sorted anyway? Willimantic Waste sorts different types of recyclables (bottles from cans, cardboard from newspaper) but does not sort recyclables from the trash. If you throw recyclables in the trash they will not be recycled. How clean do recyclables need to be? Food and beverage containers should be clean, but they don't need to be spotless. A jar of peanut butter, for example, should be empty and rinsed, but don't worry about getting every last bit of peanut butter out. Paper needs to stay clean of food and beverage contamination.
UConn recycling is moving in the right direction. Since the new blue and green recycling containers went out in Spring 2007, paper recycling rates are up significantly. Between April and September newspaper recycling more than doubled, paper recycling in the library almost tripled, and campus mixed paper recycling is up 18 percent compared to the same period in 2006. This is a 76 ton increase over a six month period resulting in more than $6,000 in savings!
The recycling rate of bottles and cans has not increased so dramatically, however, and the improvement seen in paper recycling may just be the tip of the iceberg. We still need to make more improvements to our recycling infrastructure (more recycling bins), educate ourselves about what is and what is not recyclable, and continue making an effort to put recyclables where they belong. The Student Union, Dining Services, Student Health Services, the library and Facilities Operations are leading the way on the infrastructure front. While they keep up the good work and the rest of the campus jumps on the recycling bandwagon here are some answers to common questions about recycling that should help you to do your part. "Why should I recycle?" you may ask. Recycling is green in more ways than one. Recycling materials requires substantially less energy than making new products. For example, it takes 95 percent less energy to recycle an aluminum can than it does to make one from virgin material. These energy savings result in significant environmental and economic benefits. The EPA estimates the amount of material recycled in the U.S. in 2006 prevented the release of nearly 50 million tonnes of carbon emissions. That is the equivalent of taking 39 million cars off the road for one year. Perhaps even more mind-boggling is that aluminum, steel, paper, and plastic materials are worth a lot of money, and we have sent and continue to send billions of dollars worth of these materials to landfills and incinerators. So before you throw this newspaper in the trash, note that UConn pays the Willimantic Waste Paper Company $65 per ton for trash removal and UConn makes $20 for every ton of recyclables. For every ton of material recycled UConn saves $85. What can I recycle? We can recycle a lot at UConn. WilliWaste accepts plastic containers No. 1-7 so take note of the number on your plastics. We can also recycle aseptic juice and milk cartons, aluminum cans and foil, and all kinds of paper: white, colored, envelops, magazines, junk mail, books, those cardboard pieces that go around hot beverage paper cups, and much more. You can find the full guidelines of what is and what is not recyclable by clicking on the recycling link at ecohusky.uconn.edu. Why do you need to put recyclables in separate containers? Doesn't everything get sorted anyway? Willimantic Waste sorts different types of recyclables (bottles from cans, cardboard from newspaper) but does not sort recyclables from the trash. If you throw recyclables in the trash they will not be recycled. How clean do recyclables need to be? Food and beverage containers should be clean, but they don't need to be spotless. A jar of peanut butter, for example, should be empty and rinsed, but don't worry about getting every last bit of peanut butter out. Paper needs to stay clean of food and beverage contamination.
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