Climate change and other environmental issues grow as concerns with each passing day. As we gain more knowledge of these issues, organizations and individuals alike are deciding to become more environmentally friendly and decrease their impact on the Earth. In recent years Choate has joined this effort with an active recycling program as a part of its waste management services.
Each day, at least four truckloads of waste are collected on the Choate campus, according to the head of the OneSource Facilities Service, John Bjorkdahl. OneSource, which handles all waste and cleaning amenities on campus, facilitates many of the services that make life so comfortable at Choate. “Basically, anything that moves, we move it,” says Bjorkdahl, “but recycling is very important to us.” About seven years ago, several large dumpsters were located on campus for all trash, with only a portion of this recycled. Not long ago, OneSource changed their system and made recycling a central component. Individual bins for sorting waste and recyclables are located in all dorms and academic buildings. Containers are collected daily and carefully sorted in facilities. Waste that can be recycled in dorms includes glass and plastic bottles, containers marked with a ‘1’ or ‘2’, metal beverage cans, corrugated cardboard, newspapers, magazines, and other paper. Recycling of ink cartridges is also encouraged, especially because money is returned to the school for it. “It really saves us a lot of money to recycle,” explained Mr. Bjorkdahl. In addition, dumping waste in a nearby landfill costs $60 per ton, which can easily add up with such a great deal of waste. Several items, however, are refurbished or donated rather than being dumped. Discarded mattresses, which number over 100 each year, are shipped overseas to people in need. Clothing and electronics are also sent to areas in need so that they can be put to better use.
Student groups, such as Choate’s Recycling Club, play a vital role in keeping the campus informed and conscious of how to help the environment, even in small ways. Amy Gobel ’08, president of the Recycling Club, described the group’s goal as raising awareness of the importance of recycling. Signs (printed on recycled paper) have already been posted all over campus encouraging students to recycle. According to Gobel, the club’s other goals include establishing a ‘recycling captain’ in each dorm to insure that residents of the dorm properly dispose of recyclables, and raising money for environmentally friendly causes. A canvas bag sale is planned, to show how being environmentally friendly can be fashionable as well; the sale will promote reusing bags rather than using and discarding plastic bags. All of this, according to Gobel, is still for one main objective: “Raising awareness on campus is our ultimate goal—there is no point in so much effort without participation,” she said.
Despite enthusiastic efforts to encourage recycling on campus, some students still do not feel obligated to recycle. Tatum Travers ’11 explained her viewpoint on preserving the environment for future generations bluntly: “I don’t feel compelled to recycle because I don’t have any morals.” Whether or not her words were in jest is open to question, but some people are aware of the multitude of environmentally friendly options and ignore them anyway. These people may believe that their actions will not make a difference, while others simply do not care.
Despite these non-participants, most Choaties are catching on to the importance of proper disposal of waste and recycling. “I try to recycle as much as I can,” said Sam Craft ’10. “There is definitely always room for improvement, though.” Craft agreed that the labeled bins and informative signs should be kept, as they are a huge help in reminding students to make the right decision for the environment. According to Mr. Bjorkdahl, those little reminders really do make all the difference when it comes to the amount of waste being recycled daily. “Our program [OneSource] is only as good as you guys. All we do is collect; it’s up to you to recycle.”
Blue bins located in dorms and classrooms encourage recycling.
