For a couple months now, I have been one of the people who are in charge of collecting the recycling at West Virginia Wesleyan College, and it’s been really great! I and another guy on campus collect the recycling on Tuesday and leave it out for Physical Plant to pick up on Wednesdays around midday. All in all, it’s pretty easy as well, and I must say I really hope I can do it next semester.
However, there’s a lot of issues that I face because of recycling. Contamination is a big one and causes me the most difficulties. If I or anyone else who does recycling don’t pick out things that could potentially be a contaminate, then Wesleyan gets in big trouble with the people at the Buckhannon recycling centre. While all of this technically is my job, sometimes what I find it just absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, this doesn’t even stop at the student level. Even Staff/Faulty offices are poor recyclers, and I’m hoping that I can bring some light onto what Wesleyan as a campus is doing wrong.
Plastic
A few things to mention when it comes to plastic. First, there are only two types of plastic that are recyclable on campus- Plastic 1 and Plastic 2. This includes water bottles, milk jugs, and a lot else. However, the easiest way to see whether or not it is Plastic 1 or 2 is simply to check the bottom of the container.
The 1 on the bottom of the bottle means that you can recycle it. You can also look on fruit boxes or other plastic containers that you buy food in from Wal-Mart or some other store. Unfortunately, Grab-n-Go boxes are not recyclable. If any type of plastic has a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 inside the recycling symbol, WVWC cannot recycle it.
Also, if it doesn’t have a recycling symbol on it, DO NOT RECYCLE IT. Things such as plastic wrappings or *shudders* the tooth picks from the Cafeteria are NOT recyclable. I can’t emphasize this enough. You do not know how often I’ve picked all those from the bottom of the bag.
Also, please try to make sure that anything you do recycle is completely empty. There are several reasons for this:
- If there is food in a plastic container, it is considered contaminated and I have to clean it or throw it away. I prefer not to throw away stuff that is recyclable, so I usually end up cleaning it. It sucks, but I would rather spend extra time then send more things to a landfill.
- If water or soda gets to the bottom of the bag from an empty bottle, then it can ruin the bag. Our green bags at Wesleyan are heavily biodegradable, which means that they break down easily with water or other natural elements. This prevents waste in landfills but means that things can get gross if the bag starts to break down.
- Water and soda in closed bottles- water especially- is an environmental problem bigger than just landfills and waste. Water that sits in a water bottle doesn’t get returned to the water cycle. AKA- that is water that Mother Earth is losing! More than likely, even if I miss it, the people at the recycling centre will not and they may not even dump it out. They’ll just throw it away.
So please just make sure your stuff is cleaned out. It makes my life easier and then helps ensure that your contribution is worth it.
Paper
There are two things in the paper category- paper and cardboard. The issue with paper is that Buckhannon’s recycling centre is less clear on what is and is not recyclable. For plastics and cans, it’s clear cut, but even their website is confused about what types of paper they accept. However, I’ll try and guide you through it.
Office paper- white paper that you and I write on and print stuff out on- is safe. Feel free to recycle it in any form you find it in- whole, pieces, and shreds. Notebook paper is included in that. Recycle those two.
Corrugated cardboard is okay. I can hear you asking me, however, what the heck does corrugated cardboard look like??? It looks like this:
A clever way that Katie Loudin taught me how to recognize corrugated cardboard is this simple phrase: “No wave, no way!” If you look, corrugated cardboard has a “wave” of cardboard running through it. This is different than paperboard, such as cereal boxes, which don’t have a wave when you look at it. Some boxes for shipping or storing are made out of paperboard as well, so there isn’t even a rule about “if it ships, it fits” here.
*Side-note: Please be kind to your recyclers and break down boxes if possible.*
Now the things that are less clear for recycling. I’m going to list them, and I would just appreciate if, until we can get confirmation from the recycling center (who won’t answer our calls), you just didn’t put these items into the recycling bins:
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Glossy Paper such as those you get in the mail or the really glossy event programs
Why is it confusing if these things are recyclable or not? Well, on the website, these items are listed both in the “Will Not Accept” and the “Will Accept” categories. Since it’s unclear whether or not they’ll recycle them, it’s better to be safe than sorry. What does this mean in terms of Wesleyan recycling? It means that I and everyone else who collects recycling has to pick them out of the bins and throw them away. (It physically pains me to do it, trust me.)
However, paperboard is 100% not allowed to be recycled. Please stop putting cereal boxes, K-Cup boxes, and the like in the recycling.
Cans
Soda cans are the easiest thing for you and I both when it comes to recycling. You just have to make sure you drank all of it, and I just have to bag it up. Easy peasy. However, steel cans (the things your Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chef Boyardee, and vegetables comes in) are another matter.
Just like for plastic, if it’s not cleaned out, it’s contaminated. I don’t encounter these as much as your Resident Assistants (the ones who are in charge of recycling in the dorms) do. I know that, in Holloway, the recycling rooms on the second and third floors are in a room with a sink. Besides that, everyone has access to a bathroom. Rinse out your cans.
Bonus Recycling:
The chapel participates in the Ronald McDonald House pop tab collection. What does this mean? It means that we collect the little tabs on soda cans and the money generated from selling them goes to the children and their families that depend on the Ronald McDonald House. The collection container for them is literally a giant can and sits near the bench you see when you first enter Martin Religious Center from the Religious Life Office side.
Unfortunately, there is a rumour going around that also collecting the soda caps from bottles can help little kids in need, but this is just a rumour. These lids can’t be recycled, so they’re essentially worthless unless the company who made them buys them back.
From everyone who’s in charge of recycling as Wesleyan, I ask you to please keep these things in mind when you’re recycling. Your efforts are appreciated, but please don’t make our lives harder.
RAs and other organizations, if you ever need someone to give a more in-depth explanation for the recycling program next semester, especially for freshman, you can definitely contact the CCE.