In his book The Daily Planet, environmental activist Paul Griss observed “just as we cannot blame others for destroying the environment, so we cannot look to others to protect the environment. Responsibility for both begins at home.” While Georgetown has made great strides in embracing this ethos, seeking LEED certification for the new Hariri building and committing the University to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2020, a recent survey found that many students do not feel like it is easy to recycle common objects like glass or cardboard and downright difficult to recycle things like batteries or ink cartridges. To alleviate these concerns, the University should take a number of steps to increase the already strong rates of recycling, by conveying better information about recycling facilities to students and improving the organization of its recycling infrastructure.
According to a survey conducted by the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board in January, only about half of the 645 students polled believe it is “easy to recycle” cardboard in their residence, while approximately two thirds felt that it was “easy to recycle” glass, aluminum, plastic, and paper. Only a small fraction of students—less than ten percent—believed that it was easy to recycle batteries or ink cartridges. These numbers, while not warranting drastic change, indicate that Georgetown has room for improvement.
The ease of recycling for students could be greatly enhanced by better labeling and organization of recycling bins on campus. For example, the recycling in Village B features a dizzying and contradictory array of options, with bins for cardboard, mixed paper, plastic bottles/mixed glass, plastic bottles only, glass bottles/aluminum cans, newspaper, plastic bottles/aluminum cans/glass, and cans only. This system makes it difficult to determine how to sort recyclables at home and which receptacle should be used. Making this system easier to use and less conflicting would assist students in their recycling efforts and discourage frustrated residents from just throwing everything in the trash.
Furthermore, Georgetown does not transmit clear information explaining where various items can be recycled. The website sustainability.georgetown.edu explains the breakdown of Georgetown’s waste and highlights the University’s participation in the annual Recyclemania program, but lacks any guidance about where advertised materials like furniture, electronics, batteries, clothes, and school supplies may be properly disposed.
Georgetown presently has commendable environmental programs in place, ranking 22nd out of 148 schools overall in the 2009 Recyclemania competition—safely in the top 25%. However, progress can still be made to make recycling more convenient for students, thereby increasing their chances of making environmentally friendly choices with disposable items. With a few simple fixes, the University can advance toward a cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable campus community.
