The Lantern

Issue date: 7/15/08 Section: Campus

The world is changing, with more and more people aware of energy and growth problems within the United States and the world. At Ohio State, staff members are trying to deal with the growing "green" mantra around campus by instituting a new recycling program.

The university has adopted a waste reduction goal to reduce the annual quantity of university waste disposed in landfills by 2010 by 30 percent, said Christina Redman, sustainability coordinator with the Energy Services and Sustainability Office within Business and Finance, Facilities Operations and Development.

OSU applied for and received a grant from the University Space Facilities Committee to purchase the equipment needed to initiate a recycling collection program in outdoor areas.

With grant funding, 40 recycle containers have been purchased so far. The containers are located in the Mirror Lake area, South Oval, Main Oval, the Numbers Plaza next to Oxley's By the Number's restaurant, Science and Engineering Library, Smith and McPherson Plaza, Arps and Townshend bus stops and the Recreation & Physical Activity Center.

"We are conducting this project as a pilot [program], Redman said. "During the next academic year we will be monitoring whether students use the recycling containers for their intended purpose and recording the quantity of recyclables collected from the outdoor containers."

The Energy Services and Sustainability Office has applied for a grant through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention to purchase recycling containers for all classrooms on campus. The grant is part of the College and University Recycling and Waste Reduction Program which provides financial support to Ohio's public colleges and universities, including branch campuses. Funding is available to develop or expand the collection and processing of recyclable materials or for the reduction of solid waste.

"Our plan to reach the goal is to provide convenient recycling opportunities for students, faculty, staff and visitors," Redman said. The Office of Student Life, formerly the Office of Student Affairs, now provides recycling collection in all residence halls on campus.

Students are also working to help the university achieve the waste reduction goal. Natalie Gawronski, president of the Students for Recycling group, said her groups works to promote and improve recycling on campus, but they were not directly responsible for the purchase of the bins. Students for Recycling is currently working on their Dump and Run program in which they collect items people are going to throw away during move-out and save them from going to the landfill by selling them back in a giant yard sale during autumn quarter. The next Dump and Run sale will be held Friday, Sept. 26, 2008.

"We are working with dining services to become more sustainable which includes providing recycling and composting collection in the dining facilities," Redman said, adding that she and her group have added recycling containers outdoors. The Athletics department has started recycling at home football games. The office is also working with various academic departments to purchase recycling collection containers for faculty and staff desks.

Although the university is working hard to promote the recycling containers, some students do not see a sudden change on the horizon.

"I think some people will use the recycling bins because they are so close to the trash cans, but I still think a lot of people will follow their habits and just throw things away," said Ben Dariano, a senior in construction management. "It's still a personal choice."



Caitlin Coyle can be reached at coyle.46@osu.edu.

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