Introduction
As the world as a whole becomes a “greener” place, the University of Wyoming
needs to step up and follow the trend. Matt Carberry and Doug Kauffman performed a
research project with the help of Tod Scott, director of campus recycling, Jennifer
Crandall, graduate assistant for sustainability, and the approval of Tony Earls, director of
ResLife, that looked into the potential impact that could come from a greener campus.
Main Problem/Problem to be addressed/Dorm recycling problem
The main problem as we see it is recycling in the dorms is not all that it could be.
To begin with there are not proper bins on every floor of the dorms. As most college kids
will tell you, convenience is one of the biggest factors that are inherent in their day to day
lives. It should come as no shock then, that most college kids are not willing to take down
their recyclables to the main floor or wherever the nearest bin is. This point is illustrated
in a study done by Dr. Linda S. Ralston and Joong-won Lee titled The Influence Of
Signage And Proximity Of Recycling Bins On The Volume Of Recycling Materials
Generated. We were told in class discussions that there were several logistical issues and
that recycling on a per floor basis was in all reality, undoable. However, we found that
the biggest problem is a lack of communication between groups.
Process/What we did
Our project was to collect garbage from the dorms and sort it out into what could
be easily sorted into separate bins like plastic bottles, paper, and cardboard. We first
gathered the garbage and would then take it to the university recycling center where we
would weigh the total. After the weight was recorded we separated the contents into what
the recycling center could recycle and threw away what could not be recycled. At the end
of this process we figured out that on average 49 percent of what gets thrown away in the
dorms is accepted as recyclable by the university recycling center. After talking to a few
custodians and using the averages we figured out that the average floor produces 23 lbs
of garbage. There are 36 floors in the four Washakie buildings (Orr, White, McIntyre,
and Downey). Given the average garbage produced and the percentage of that garbage
that is recyclable the dorms are throwing away 424 lbs of recycling per day, 2,570 lbs per
week, 11,880 lbs per month, and finally 106,920 lbs per school year of recyclable
material.
Solutions/Next Steps for UW
The solution as simple as it may seem has not been able to be implemented. The
solution of course would be to get the proper bins on every floor of the dorms, if not
replacing trash cans with recycling bins and just having one communal garbage can. The
reason this has yet to be implemented is the simple act of transporting the bins from every
floor to the ground level and subsequently to the recycling center. Tod Scott informed
us that if floor by floor recycling were implemented, he and his team would have no
problems with the increase in recycling, and in conversations with the custodial staff,
they informed us that they wouldn’t have an issue transporting the bins to the main floor.
In conclusion it is our belief that the University of Wyoming needs to be willing
to do whatever it takes to get proper recycling bins on every floor of every dorm, and be
willing to work out a solution to the transportation issues, especially since the recyclable
amount has such a significant impact on our environment. As a whole the university
needs to decide that it is time to kick it into gear and really become an environmentally
friendly campus.