by Bailey Porter
LV Life Editor
Modifications to the existing paper recycling program at the University of La Verne will now allow for recycling of aluminum and plastic materials.
Recycling will be through a commingled program, meaning that all paper, aluminum and plastic can be deposited in the same blue recycling bins around campus. Cardboard will be collected as before, next to the bins ready to be bailed by Operations.
“It makes us responsible, and it’s a role we should be doing,” said Amy Hoffman, director of the Sustainable Campus Task Force.
The recycling program was implemented September of last year after a year of planning.
The Sustainable Campus Task Force started up in March and helped in promoting the success of the program. Largely due to financial constraints, the program was never able to collect aluminum or plastic for recycling, said Robert Beebe, assistant director of facilities management and member of the task force.
Hoffman said the task force hopes to educate the campus of ways to save energy and limit the trash going to landfills and exploitation of new resources through promotion of the commingled recycling program.
Expanding the program will mean an impact on the dollar per ton of recycled material. Before modification, the University received $15 per ton of paper. With the commingled system, that will be reduced to $5 per ton, Beebe said.
However, Beebe focuses on the overall impact that these changes will have on the environment and the long-term savings for the University. He said this expansion will be doing right for the environment and will be in keeping with the University’s mission.
“[The modifications] will hopefully get people into the habit of recycling,” Beebe said.
Also, the commingled program will hopefully increase tonnage of recycled material while decreasing the tonnage of trash, Beebe said.
When it was decided last year that finances would not cover recycling all recyclable material, the decision was made to focus on the two most popular commodities, cardboard and paper, Beebe said.
One hundred bins were provided free of charge by RSI Consulting, the recycling company coordinating with the school, and the University would pay for them over a four year term using the revenue from recycling. Now, the University has struck a deal that extends the payback time, allowing for a more inclusive recycling program.
Ideally, said Beebe, we would be living in a world where there are three separate bins for the given items. Realistically there are not enough resources to buy, store or pick-up that amount of bins.
Approximately 85,000 pounds of paper and cardboard were recycled last year resulting in a $40,000 savings, said Beebe. Cardboard will collect the same as before in recycling, meaning $20 per ton.
And while it is impossible to assert how much will be saved given the modifications, Beebe is certain that a lot depends on the people within the program: students, staff, faculty and members of the community.
“How willing are they to participate” he said.
Looking into future possibilities, Beebe said if it ever comes to a point where the revenue is not going toward paying off the recycling bins, then plans can be made to purchase more bins and expand the program even further.
