How? | Where? | What? | Volunteer
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year. |
More than 20,000,000 Hershey’s kisses
are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of aluminum foil, which
can be recycled. www.recycling- |
 |
Recycling at Virginia Wesleyan College is a partnership: an institutional commitment
to reducing waste and an individual commitment to being good stewards
of our environment. It is a partnership between members of the campus community,
the Physical Plant staff and an area waste management company. Individuals
are responsible for sorting their trash, while the Physical Plant staff
picks up recyclables, and Tidewater Fibre sorts and
In
1999, recycling and composting prevented 64 million tons of material from
ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, the U.S. recycles 32% of
its waste. www.epa.govprocesses
the collected items. In addition, the College's Print Shop recycles print
overruns and misprints by making notepads, the Physical Plant collects and
recycles batteries, the Business Office recycles toner cartridges, and the
campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity recycles personal printer cartridges.
Furthermore, Virginia Wesleyan College has made a commitment to buying recycled
products across the supply line, including copy paper, envelopes and building
materials.
How does recycling work at Wesleyan?
Two words: Blue and You. There are blue mixed-use recycle receptacles placed throughout campus. The locations of all large covered containers (55 gal.) are printed below. In addition, there are large open bins in a variety of office and common-space locations. A list of items that can be placed in the containers and bins is also listed below, along with a list of contaminants. Individuals collect recyclables in smaller, room- and office-sized blue cans and empty them into the larger bins and containers. The Physical Plant staff empties the larger bins and containers in a dumpster near the Physical Plant Office. Tidewater Fibre collects, sorts and processes our recyclables. Do your part: collect and empty recyclables in the larger bins and containers.
Where are the Blue Bins and Containers?
Everywhere. The Physical Plant staff makes recycling available all over campus. If you do not see a recycle bin or container near you and wish to add one, please call 757.455.3365. To purchase smaller room- and office-size cans, contact Student Environmental Awareness League President Vickie Brynildsen at vjbrynildsen@vwc.edu.
Large Container Locations
- All academic buildings
- All residence halls
- Apartment laundry rooms
- Batten Student Center: Grille, Events Lobby, Hub
- Boyd Dining Center
- Blocker Hall
- Physical Plant
- Library
| One recycled glass bottle saves enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes. |
| One recycled plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours. |
| One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for up to 3 hours. www.forrecycling.info |
What can I put in the Blue Bins and Containers?
- Aluminum cans/foil/pie tins
- Cardboard
- Catalogs
- Cereal boxes
- Envelopes (including windowed and Goldenrod)
- Glass bottles/jars (brown, clear, green)
- Invoices
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Office paper: white and color
- Old forms/files (remove paperclips and Post-It Notes)
- Paper bags
- Plastic bottles #1 and #2 (water, soda, juice, milk jugs)
- Shrink wrap
- Steel/tin cans
- Unwanted mail
- Wrapping paper
- Writing paper
What you CANNOT put in the Blue Bins and Containers is probably MORE important than what you CAN put in them. The top contaminant our recycling service sees is FOOD WASTE and related products, such as Styrofoam, napkins, and pizza boxes.
The rule of thumb is: If an item has food waste on it, it cannot be recycled.
Other items that will void a bin of recyclable materials are:
- Phone books (because of the glue and paper quality)
- An abundance of Post-It Notes (again, because of the glue)
- Aerosol cans
- Batteries
- Diapers
- Motor oil
- Paint cans
- Plastic bags
- Wood products
- Yard waste
How can I help to improve recycling at Wesleyan?
- Recycle everyday. Then, participate in Recyclemania in the spring. Go to www.recyclemaniacs.org to learn more.
- Volunteer. Join the RPs (Recycle Police) and monitor recycling at big campus events. Plan to participate in the Residence Hall Hand-Me-Down Day in May by donating your unwanted but reusable clothing, furniture and food.
- Join the Student Environmental Awareness League to connect with community-wide efforts to reduce waste.
- Speak up. Share your ideas about how we can improve campus recycling with members of the President’s Environmental Issues Council. E-mail Dr. Maynard Schaus, or contact other members of the PEIC.