OSU recycles program continues to grow

Monday, April 21, 2014

Since the inception of the OSU Recycles program the amount of materials recycled on campus has increased significantly.

The campus-wide OSU Recycles Committee implemented a strategic plan in Sept. 2013 that aims to increase student and employee awareness of the recycling program. The committee’s mission includes cultivating a comprehensive recycling system and a culture of reuse and recycling on campus.

The program is managed by Recycling Foreman Chad Tucker, who is dedicated to increasing the amount of recycling on campus. Since Tucker took over OSU Recycles in March of 2013, it has grown faster than ever.

“We have 16 green dumpsters on campus that accept the cardboard, paper, bottles and cans collected from inside buildings,” Tucker said. “We are adding to that and getting more material every day, so the program is growing.”

The OSU Recycles Committee established a recycling rate goal of 30 percent by the end of 2015 for OSU Stillwater, compared to a baseline of 8 percent in 2011. Just from 2012 to 2013, cardboard collections have nearly tripled, from 56 tons in 2012 to 142 tons in 2013, and white paper increased from 47 tons in 2012 to 123 tons in 2013.

 Ilda Hershey is the OSU Sustainability Coordinator, and she leads the OSU Recycles Committee.

“The ultimate goal is to decrease any adverse effects of our environmental footprint and recover as many resources as we can,” Hershey said. “Ideally, we want to reduce waste and reuse what we have before recycling.”

Members of the OSU community can support the recycling program by always placing their recyclable materials, like cans, bottles, paper and cardboard into a recycling bin. All OSU faculty, staff and students can embrace a culture of environmental stewardship on campus by encouraging one another to use both material and energy resources wisely.

In honor of Earth Day, OSU Sustainability and Energy Management Programs will join campus student organizations that focus on sustainability April 22 at Earth Fest in the Student Union Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There will be a "How to Recycle on Campus" activity, a Twitter contest opportunity to win a solar phone charger, potted plants and other giveaways.

The OSU Recycles program vision is for conservation, reuse, recycling and responsible stewardship of materials to be second nature to OSU community members everywhere.

 

For more information about the OSU Recycles program and how to get involved in campus sustainability efforts, visit www.physicalplant.okstate.edu/osurecycles and www.okstate.edu/sustainability. To learn more about Earth Fest, contact ECO-OSUecoosu@gmail.com  or Lindsey Adams at (405) 744-4728 or Lindsey.adams10@okstate.edu.