The Three R's of Solid Waste Management: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
Reduce
The first step to minimizing the environmental impact of solid waste is to create less of it. It is perhaps the most difficult of the 3 R's, because it means adjusting our behavior to consume less.
For example:
- Teachers and students should strive to reduce paper use in the classroom. This applies to handouts, syllabi, tests, and assignments. Instructors should ensure that only handouts that are absolutely necessary are passed out; students should refrain from unnecessary printing of course materials, print materials on the back sides of used paper, etc. (Learn more detailed guidance regarding how to reduce paper use with Microsoft Word and Power Point by using different print settings, printing double-sided and decreasing margin widths.)
- Starbucks, including their on-campus shops, and many other coffee shops give customers an incentive to reduce paper cup use. Bring in a reusable travel mug, receive a 10¢ discount. Imagine how many cups a coffee-lover could save over the course of a semester!
- In most areas of the United States, there is no health advantage in bottled water. Filtered tap water is equally healthy and a lot cheaper. Nalgene bottles and similar containers allow you to carry water as you would a commercial bottle, but with no need to discard the container.
Reuse
Reusing an object means that it is used again without being made into something new. It is the next best thing after reduction. At BU, many offices and departments get certain supplies from other offices and departments, from furniture to computers to manila envelopes. For years, this trade was done informally between offices. Soon, BU will have programs in place to help the process move along.
One such program is the Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) Program (coming soon). With this recently developed program, staff and faculty can use an online forum to post items that their offices no longer require. Then other staff and faculty can browse the items to look for what they need. The giver and the receiver communicate directly and they are responsible for making arrangements to exchange items. (This program is meant for the exchange of University-purchased items between University offices. It is not to be used by employees for the purpose of transferring private property or finding items for private use, nor by students or private individuals for any purpose.)
An option to get rid of an unwanted item of personal property is the BU Today Classified utility, open to students, faculty, and staff. Post items, such as furniture, electronics, sports equipment, dishes, books, along with the asking price and contact information. If a person is seeking an item, or just wants to browse, they can visit the site and view posted items. While ROSE is only for University property to be exchanged between University units, this site is only for personal property. As with ROSE, communication and transfer arrangements are solely between the seller and the buyer. University resources will not be able to transfer these goods.
Recycling
When something is recycled, it is broken down and then built back into a new product. It is the least ideal option of the 3 R's, because energy is required to break down the discarded item. But, it is certainly a better option than throwing the item in a landfill! Additionally, producing goods from recycled materials generally saves energy and reduces pollution when compared to producing the same goods from scratch. BU's recycling system is quite extensive and has undergone numerous improvements in recent years.
All major dormitories have co-mingle and paper recycling. ("Co-mingle" means aluminum, plastic, and glass may all be "mingled" in the same bin.) Additionally, there are several central recycling locations for South Campus residents. At the beginning of each academic year, residents receive a reusable plastic recycling bag. They can use this bag as a collection receptacle, and once the bag is full, as a vehicle to carry the recyclables to a drop-off location. The bag makes recycling more convenient, plus having the bag around will remind students to recycle.
Offices and academic buildings all have paper recycling available. Co-mingle is also available in some, including the Fitness and Recreation Center, Mugar Library, the George Sherman Union, the Law School, 1 Sherborn Street, and the School of Education. In these buildings, our recycling vendor empties the recycling from central locations. Staff and faculty maintain smaller bins, which they empty into the central locations. These central receptacles are either emptied weekly, or more often than weekly as requested. To request individual bins, or to set up new pick-up locations, visit www.bu.edu/recycling and fill out a request form.
BU recycles much more than paper and containers. Beginning in fall 2006, landscaping waste is collected and composted. Wood pallets and scrap wood is recycled. Paints are recycled. Universal Waste and electronics are collected and recycled by the Institution Recycling Network, a non-profit that works with colleges and universities to facilitate recycling. (Universal Waste laws in Massachusetts forbid institutions from trashing materials that are semi-hazardous, meaning they are not dangerous enough to be classified as hazardous waste, but they should not be thrown in a landfill. These include fluorescent lamps, lamp ballasts, paints, and various mercury-containing appliances.) Other materials are recycled as well. Through the Institution Recycling Network, the University recycles just about anything you can imagine -- computers, monitors, TVs, audio equipment, cell phones, toners and cartridges, cords, CDs, and so on. Questions should be referred to the Purchasing Department in the Office of Facilities Management and Planning (617-353-4944).
Students who have small electronics to be recycled must drop off items at 704 Commonwealth Avenue in the drop-box. Larger items, like computer monitors, must be brought to the 2nd floor to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Faculty and staff also have this option, but for small electronics (excluding printing cartridges -- separate protocol explained below), they may also fill out a form at www.bu.edu/recycling to have the electronics picked up. For large equipment, they can call Trucking at 617-353-2117 to arrange for a pick-up, and there will be a small fee for the labor.
Faculty and staff can recycle their toner and ink cartridges by filling out a form at www.bu.edu/recycling, identifying how many cartridges are to be recycled. A Student Recycling Coordinator from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety will then deliver packaging to the requester. Toners must be boxed up and picked up by UPS, or dropped off at a UPS store. For ink cartridges, the requester receives envelopes that can be filled and then mailed. Packaging has pre-paid postage.
When a University office wishes to discard a piece of furniture, they may call the Trucking Services (617-353-2117) to come and collect it. (There is a modest charge for labor.) This used furniture is kept at a warehouse, and periodically the Office of Facilities Maintenance & Planning sends unclaimed furniture to a charity in South America.
Want to be rewarded for recycling? In addition to the reward of feeling good about yourself, bringing items to an America Recycles Day or Earth Day celebration can win you a prize. America Recycles Day is November 15th, Earth Day is April 22nd, and BU's annual celebrations are on or around these dates. Bring any kind of recyclables, as well as clothing to be donated, and you receive a raffle entry.
