Recycling Committee Minutes - 9 October 2009
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Minutes from meeting of the Adhoc Committee on Recycling
Date: 9 October 2009
Location: Third floor conference room, Schurz Library
Attending: Jake Jones, Albert Peiffer, Andrew Schnabel, Susan Thomas, Marietta Tykes, Dave Vollrath
Meeting was started at 10 am
Agenda items:
1) Chairs for current year - Susan Thomas and Andrew Schnabel
2) Update from last year's work
 No new recyclables were added in the past year
o Campus has single-stream recycling now, with all basic recyclables mixed together
(paper, plastic, cans)
 Cans are still treated separately, because they provide a source of income for the
committee’s work
 Single-stream system can handle phone books and other soft-backed, glue-bound
books, which eliminates one form of recycling drive the committee organized in
past years
o Printer cartridges are still being recycled through the “Empties for Cash” program, with
collection boxes in several locations around campus
o Many text-books are recycled through the “Better World Books” program, with
collection boxes in Wiekamp and Northside
o Still have problems with secure recycling of electronic media (CD, flashdrives, etc.)
o Acetate sheet recycling seems to be fading out

Website was updated; no one at the meeting was familiar with current presence on Facebook

Recycling containers in many areas were relabeled during the last year

End-of-year recycling event (former “Bagfest”) was a huge success - much more electronic waste
was recycled than expected
3) New initiatives and plans for special events in this academic year
 Joint effort of Student Government Association and the Environmental Justice League to set up a
recycling program for rechargeable batteries; committee noted that all regular batteries can be
given to Jennifer Einspahr (Campus Environmental Health and Safety Manager) for proper
disposal/recycling

Committee decided to hold a special event for IUSB housekeeping and grounds staff - a joint
training and appreciation event. Idea is to invite Waste Management representative to campus for
the event to provide update and training for the staff. Recycling and sustainability committees
would also be invited to attend to show appreciation for the recycling work done by the staff.
Dates and times will be decided at future meetings

Committee suggested that we continue the end-of-year event in current academic year, with
tentative date of April 24. Some changes to the event were discussed (see attached email from
Deb Marr at the end of these minutes). Final plans will be decided at future meetings.
Recycling Committee Minutes - 9 October 2009
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5) Connections with work by the sustainability committee
 It was noted that the Sustainability Committee had just completed several reports on various
issues related to sustainability on campus, including a report on recycling. That report will be
circulated to the committee for comment at the next meeting.
Meeting was adjourned at 11 am. Next meeting is scheduled for November 12, 8:30 am, 3rd floor
conference room, Schurz Library.
Addendum to minutes: Partial text of email from Deb Marr concerning computer and styrofoam
recycling at the end-of-year event
Two suggestions that I wanted to make are:
1) GoodWill is accepting computers (all types I think). If there is interest in repeating the electronic
drive, perhaps this could be done in cooperation with Goodwill. We had a lot of TVs last year, and I don't
think GoodWill is accepting those items.
2) I think we should stop the collection of PS#6 styrofoam. It is difficult to get to Michigan City, and the
company is not easy to work with (nice people, but coordinating drop off times can be tricky given time
constraints of having the UHaul truck). People have a hard time distinguishing between materials that the
company will accept and what is not acceptable. This generates frustration on the part of people when
their donations are rejected, and increases the amount of waste thrown away on campus. Last year, we
discarded roughly 30-40% of the donated styrofoam and bore the brunt of people's anger when we
rejected their donation.
We could continue collecting peanuts and packing material - this is easy to take to UPS stores locally.
Notre Dame has a contract with Waste Management in which styrofoam used by their dining services is
collected and recycled. We are no longer with Waste Management, but it might be worth inquiring if our
current waste hauler offers this service. We would need to look into the costs/benefits of recycling
styrofoam (might generate more toxins to recycle).
- Deb