Student Recycling Project Aims for Green Campus

Some Environmentally minded students gave the campus community something to think about during winter break. In December, several students from an Environmental Politics class taught by Dr. Pamela Chasek, associate professor of government and director of Manhattan's international studies program, presented an instructive discussion on recycling that included research and recommendations from a semester-long project. As environmental awareness grows throughout the world, so does the urgency, for these Jaspers, to inform the College community about and improve recycling practices on campus.

The presentation, compiled through interview, surveys and Internet research, emphasized the importance of recycling to address the world's growing excess waste problems, especially in the United States. If every country consumed as much as the United States, Chasek explained, we would need three planets' worth of resources. The subject of waste accumulation is seen as a worldwide problem, “but you need to bring it home locally,” she said.

And that's where the Manhattan students came in. During the project, some student groups started locally and went to the residence halls and other campus buildings to count the recycling bins. They found the number of bins and their labeling inadequate – two issues that seemed to be the biggest reason for recycling problems on campus.

In addition, several groups took a wider perspective and looked at programs run by other schools to see how those students strive to improve recycling. They also looked into nationwide programs, such as Recycle Mania and Focus the Nation, which both try to expand interest and information on recycling.

The students then offered recommendations to improve campus recycling practices, such as “green” activities, recycling events and participation in the nationwide programs, as well as increasing the number of recycling bins around campus, better labeling and greater physical plant awareness. One such recommendation already has been implemented: all the residence halls not have battery recycling bins, so students can recycle batteries, which are toxic waste and can pose problems for landfills.

ith their well-planned presentation and suggestions, the students proved they are serious about making Manhattan College a leader among environmentally friendly campuses.