It's easy to recycle at Wesleyan!
Implement your personal waste management hierarchy: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reducing your consumption is most important, followed by reusing existing items, and finally recycling as a last resort. In our Climate Action Plan, Wesleyan set a goal of 40% landfill diversion by 2012.
Together, by recycling mixed paper (our largest consumable), we can accomplish this goal and much more. Long range plans for recycling include campus-wide programs for many other items, but our first goal is to increase collection of recyclable mixed paper products.
Currently, our campus community recycles mixed paper, plastic (#1 and #2), and aluminum using various sorting receptacles in the library, many academic buildings, and in the student residence halls. Because Wesleyan's largest recyclable consumable is paper, GREEN Mixed Paper recycling bins are prominently located throughout Olive Swann Porter, Willet Library, Tate Hall, Taylor Hall, and Munroe Science Center. Wesleyan thanks WALMART for sponsoring our recycling program and helping us purchase all of these bins! Use these bins for white and colored paper, magazines, newspapers, phone books, catalogs, junk mail, and other paper products.
Signs posted at the bins list the paper products collected through Wesleyan's Mixed Paper Recycling Program. Download a printable sign and create your own desk-side paper recycling bin. MORE! Collect mixed paper in your desk-side bin or box, then empty into a GREEN common area mixed paper bin. If you have a large collection, then request a mixed paper pick up from Physical Plant.
Why Recycle Paper? Aside from landfill diversion, recycling paper is important. Compared to producing a ton of paper from virgin wood pulp, recycled paper uses 64% less energy and 50% less water, results in 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution, saves 17 trees, and creates 5 times more jobs.
The Wesleyan College community recycled over 7,500 pounds of materials in the first quarter of 2011, including 4,380 lbs of mixed paper! In addition to the campus-wide recycling efforts, the following departments collect and manage the appropriate disposal of these additional items:
- Ink Cartridges: take empty ink cartridges to Sybil McNeil in the Library.
- Cardboard: break down cardboard boxes and contact Physical Plant for pick up. OR, take cardboard to one of three drop off points: OSP loading dock bin, Library bin, or Physical Plant bin.
- Electronics: take to CIR Department in the Barracks. E-waste can be extremely hard on the environment. Try to donate or sell old electronics. Most manufacturers (including Sony, Apple, Dell, and Verizon) will take your used electronics free, also.
- Batteries: take to the Humanities Department in Tate Hall or CIR Department in the Barracks. Rechargeable batteries are best for the environment, but disposable batteries can be recycled. Take advantage of the campus departments collecting batteries or visit www.batteryrecycling.com to learn more. Also, Staples and Best Buy recycle rechargeable batteries.
- Light bulbs: take to the Humanities Department in Tate Hall.
Please report concerns or direct questions about recycling to Wesleyan’s Sustainability Committee and Resource Conservation Task Force by emailing: sustainability@wesleyancollege.edu
To Ensure That Your Aluminum Cans Are Recycled. . .
Keep cans clean and dry. Recyclers often offer lower prices or refuse to buy wet or dirty cans. Make certain all cans are aluminum. Check by placing a magnet on the side of the can; it won't stick to aluminum. Don't use cans to dispose of paint, solvents, or flammable liquids (receptacles for these chemicals may be found in the Murphey Art Building). NEVER dispose of needles or syringes in empty cans.
Scrap FUN Facts...
- In 1997, more than 46 million appliances were recycled in the U.S. That's a recycling rate of 81%. Appliance recycling for that year alone yielded enough steel (more than 2.8 million tons) to build 48 aircraft carriers-including anchors and anchor chains.
- In 10 Northeastern U.S. states alone, more than 103,000 people are employed in firms that process or manufacture recycled materials, adding more than $7.2 billion in value to these recovered materials.
- For the 10th consecutive year, lead-acid batteries topped the list of recycled products. In a 1996 survey, the latest data available, the 96.5% recycling rate for battery lead and plastics beat aluminum cans (63.5%), glass bottles (37.9%), and newspapers (67.8%). Lead and plastic from recycled batteries are used in new battery manufacture. A new lead-acid battery contains almost 100% recycled materials.
- 40% of all copper used, 25% of aluminum, 30% of zinc, 35% of lead, and 20% of nickel come from recycling.
Recycling in Macon and Bibb County
The city of Macon picks up newspapers citywide if placed in a 14-gallon blue container every two weeks. A pilot program is testing single-stream curbside recycling, where all recyclable materials are placed in a blue 65-gallon container. That program has been rolled out to 2,000 homes and eight schools. Residents of unincorporated Bibb County get recyclables picked up every other week. Recyclable items include newspapers, glass, crushed aluminum drink cans, tin-plated food cans, empty aerosol containers and plastic containers, which need to be crushed. Plastic bags are not recycled.
In a one-year period, Bibb County residents threw out 18,788 tons of material, or 87 percent of what was collected; recycled 725 tons of goods; and disposed of 1,997 tons of yard waste. In one August week in Macon, residents threw out 1.23 million pounds of material, or 89 percent of what was collected; disposed of 124,860 pounds of yard waste; and recycled 30,240 pounds of recycled material. In comparison, a 2005 Georgia Statewide Waste Characterization Study said Middle Georgia residents trashed plenty of stuff that was recyclable. Landfill waste included 5.3 percent newspaper, 13.8 percent cardboard, 1.8 percent in No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles and 1.7 percent glass. Paper products alone accounted for 35.5 percent of the landfill waste, the study found.
Things YOU can do to help Wesleyan's recycling efforts:
Don't print! View, share, and access documents on Wesnet, WebCT, the portal, LMS, and the Wesleyan College website. During the last 6 months we, as a college, have made 329,947 copies! That does not even include the paper we are using for our printers.
LEADING THE WAY: "I have put lots on LMS this semester plus I have had students put some writing assignments directly into LMS where I will grade them without printing ever. I did not hand out a paper copy of my syllabi this semester nor of handouts which are all on LMS. I put all assignments on LMS or for Spanish 101 under the announcements in the students' online lab program. The only printing I have done so far has been of the first test for each class and a pop quiz today (printed 2 to a page and cut in half). I have told students only to print if needed." Dr. Saralyn DeSmet
Direct Deposit! Staff and faculty may sign up for direct deposit. For students, all payments from Wesleyan are already paperless and made via direct deposit to the specified bank account. This includes work-study payroll as well as financial aid refunds and any other payments made to students. This new payment method is convenient, efficient, and environmentally friendly. Request a direct deposit form from the Financial Aid Office, Business Office, or Human Resources Department.
LEADING THE WAY: "We are paying student refunds and as many vendors as possible by direct deposit now instead of printing checks. We are not mailing student statements after the semester begins; instead, we are helping students review their online statement on the portal. Book vouchers also are paperless and on the portal now. Work study payroll checks are directly deposited to students’ accounts rather than printed as checks." Dawn Nash, Business Office
Reduce Junk Mail! Register for the Direct Marketing Association's DMAChoice at www.dmachoice.org and receive only mail that interests you.
LEADING THE WAY: "In September, we launched the online version of The Wesleyan Word, the official student newspaper of Wesleyan College. Operated and produced by students, The Word is printed once per month during the fall and spring semesters. Online editions are released every Thursday throughout the school year. Moving to a digital format allows us to deliver more content in a timely fashion. We plan to reduce our publishing 50% this year. Visit us at: http://wesleyanword.wordpress.com" Dana Amihere, Editor
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Recycling at home!
MORE about recycling in Middle Georgia.
City of Macon Curbside
The city's single stream mixed paper program collects (every other week) the following material curbside:
* Newspaper
* Magazines
* Glossy Catalogs
* Home Office Mix: paper, junk mail, envelopes, etc.
* Wrapping Paper
Bibb County Curbside
Bibb County collects (every other week) the following material curbside:
* Newspaper
* Magazines
* Slick Coated Catalogs
* Home Office Mix
* Aluminum Cans
* Steel/Tin plated Cans
* Plastic 1-7 (Not #3)
* Glass Containers
Houston County Curbside
Houston County collects (every other week) the following material curbside:
* Newspaper
* Magazines
* Slick Coated Catalogs
* Home Office Mix
* Aluminum Cans
* Steel/Tin plated Cans
* Plastic 1-7 (Not #3)
LINKS WE LOVE:
Recycling Today Magazine
www.recyclingtoday.com
Recycling International
www.recyclinginternational.com
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
www.isri.org
Scrap
www.scrap.org
Earth's 911
www.cleanup.org
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