On-campus awareness of recycling on the rise

by Tim Tevault
Managing Editor

Ever wonder if those recycling cans on campus actually serve a purpose? Well, they do. The University of La Verne's recycling program, led by Robert Beebe, assistant director of facilities management, is on the verge of expansion.

Beebe is compiling figures to see if the plans he has for the program will be worthwhile.

"You have to be fiscally responsible, and at the same time ecologically responsible," he said.

Although he said his plans will not take effect for a few more months, Beebe wants the ULV community to know that recycling does exist on campus. Currently, ULV works with its housekeeping company, Sodexho, and Environmental Care, a landscaping company.

According to Judy Galvez, account manager for Sedex, the night crew goes around every Tuesday and Thursday and collects the specially color-coded bags from the various recycling bins around campus and separates them.

"There was a student interested (in recycling), so we did it," Galvez said.

Once separated, the bins are collected by a runner, then taken to the maintenance department, where Environmental Care later picks them up.

Environmental Care also breaks down any cardboard that will be recycled.

Galvez said that when they first started to help out with the recycling program, there was not too much interest, but added that it has picked up recently, as recycling bags are being filled much more quickly.

ULV also works with Alpine, a company which has donated paper bins. However, because of his unhappiness with Alpine, Beebe has expressed dissatisfaction with them.

By filling these bins, ULV reduces the amount of paper sent to regular landfills. And because the school pays a by-the-ton charge to get rid of trash, the paper sent to the paper bins reduces the tonnage, therefore lowering costs to get rid of the trash.

Beebe believed it is time for a change. So, he went to Waste Management, the city of La Verne's waste disposal service. However, Beebe said they wanted about $6,000 more than what the university was already paying for with Alpine.

Because of this, Beebe is considering going independent by possibly purchasing paper and cardboard balers so ULV could bale its own cardboard and paper, and then turn around and sell it on the open market. Also by going independently, they could obtain enough recycling containers to place in every classroom.

While this might be a good idea, Beebe admits it will be costly, as balers cost roughly $6,000 a year to maintain. The university would also have to find a place on campus to put the balers and the bales. However, Beebe remains optimistic.

"If I can find a way to work it out, I will find a place to store those bales," he said. "Now we have real growing pains."

To help the recycling program, the Associated Students Federation Forum pitched in $4,000 to help get every office set up with a green recycling can.

Beebe also spent a large amount of money to get every building on campus set up with the individual recycling bins for paper, glass and newspaper. To get each building set up with one, it costs about $7,000. However, Beebe said that since the buildings at ULV are mostly all more than one story, it makes it less appealing for people to recycle in the individual bins.

Students, staff and faculty will not climb or descend up or down a flight of stairs just to throw away a bottle, he said.

"There is a lot of apathy we're still fighting among ULV," Beebe said, adding that people throw trash in recycling cans as if it were a regular trash can.

A meeting was held recently with Beebe, Jay Jones, director of the office of instructional technology, Sodexho and ASF. Together, they identified the issues the school is facing.

Jones believes that the problem of apathy begins with people who do not sort out their recyclable trash and regular trash and throw it all in one bin. Once housekeeping sees this, they may be inclined to not sort it out either. Jones also identified other problems.

"The critical thing is we don't have recycling bins in classrooms," he said.

Jones also said that ULV is approaching a "unique" point in the academic year with finals coming up and students are getting rid of notes and papers and will not be inclined to recycle any of it.

In the meantime, to help foster interest in recycling at ULV, Jones has started a Website, which he plans to expand on in the near future.

For more information regarding this issue contact Jones at extension 4040.