From campus to farm- OSU recycles
Monday, April 21, 2014
From campus to farm- OSU recycles
From campus to the farm, new recycling efforts at Oklahoma State University continue to reflect its growing commitment as an environmental leader among universities across the U.S.
"Our campus recycling program is now officially known as OSU Recycles, and it comes with easier guidelines for collecting recyclables," said Ilda Hershey, sustainability coordinator at OSU. She predicts the simpler guidelines will mean greater involvement campuswide.
A key feature of the program is mixed-paper recycling, which means there is no longer a need to spearate white paper from other types of recyclable paper, Hershey said. "The types of recyclable paper have also been expanded to include telephone books, soft-cover books, colored paper, junk mail, magazines and more."
A recycling department has been established within Physical Plant Services to assist with the improvements and to ensure scheduled collections and clearly marked containers. The recycles will be sorted and baled at the new OSU Recycling Center.
LEADING THE WAY
The new recycling program will build on a track record of environmental progress at OSU. The school was one of the first universities to convert its entire fleet of transit buses to run on compressed natural gas – a more environmentally-friendly fuel source that requires less vehicle maintenance. Students have converted a formula SAE racecar to set several track records and promote CNG adoption. As of January, wind power began supplying 67 percent of the electricity on campus, where a sweeping energy management program is already saving more than $4.5 million a year.
The overall environmental commitment is also reflected on a daily basis in smaller projects that become part of campus life. For instance, several student volunteers made the recent return of their classmates a prime recycling event by breaking down boxed left near campus trash dumpsters and transferring the flattening boxes to recycling containers. They even managed to have a little fun with the boxes in the process. See more at facebook.com/osuenergy/photos_albums.
Hershey estimates the students collected 8 tons of cardboard and 435 pounds of Styrofoam during the three-day collection process.
PARTNERING WITH FARMERS
Reducing food waste is another way OSU is expanding its environmental stewardship, Hershey said. "Our composting program allows food scraps to be reused or recycled into nutrient-rich material for plants in gardens, and it reduces waste going into the landfill."
Philip Stephens, chef de cuisine for Student Union Dining Services, heads up the Student Union compositing efforts. He asks his staff to put scrap produce, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags and egg shells into large lidded carts, which are filled and retrieved two to three times a week. More than 2 tons, or 4,000 pounds, of scraps are collected each month at the Student Union alone.
"We have a great staff here," Stephens said. "Once we roll out a program, everybody gets on board." The composting program was recently expanded to include the Kerr-Drummond and Scott-Parker-Wentz kitchens, thanks to the participation of some new farmers, who collect the food scraps to mix in a compost pile with straw and soil.
Lee Marlin, marketing coordinator for University Dining Services, is a supporter of the OSU composting efforts and education.
"I think it's important because OSU is so big," Marlin said. "Our high profile offers the opportunity to set a positive example that can have a real impact. IF we can do it on such a large scale, anybody can do it, and you can do it at home, too."
The Sustainability Office is looking for additional local farmers and ranchers who may be interested in taking food scraps to amend their soil. For more information, email sustainability@okstate.edu.