Recycling

Trash Talks - Student Project

             Since there are many facets of recycling and waste management, our group chose to tackle specific issues concerning battery recycling and paper recycling and took on the challenge of gaining recycling awareness and calling for a campus-wide cultural change.

            We felt that even though battery recycling is available on campus (currently in the mail room and the Kalman science building), many students are not aware of its existence or of its importance to the environment.  With the help of Greg Brady, the Environmental Specialist from Triumvirate Environmental, we were able to obtain battery collection bins stationed at both the Usdan and the Shapiro Campus Center information desks. There are four 1' x 1.5' pails each meant for collecting alkaline, lead/ acid, lithium, and nickel-cadmium) These bins come with signage that serves to inform the campus about the importance of battery recycling. They will be emptied regularly every month by employees of Triumvirate Environmental, which ensures regular maintenance of the collection sites. In turn, this not only allows for easier access to battery collection sites, but it also promotes awareness of battery recycling.

Battery Recycling Collection Area sign. Alkaline, Lead, Acid, and Nickel-Cadmium.

           In conjunction with the efforts of SEA (Students for Environmental Action) on America Recycles Day, our group was able to make a recycling sculpture. In order to celebrate this national holiday, we helped SEA sort through trash collected from Ziv and Massell quads for recycled materials that were thrown away. This sculpture served as a tangible display of how much recyclable waste is not being recycled on campus. It depicts a large 37 % made out of plastic bottles and aluminum cans, that were found in the sorting, with a cardboard trash receptacle that served as a backdrop. We are displaying this sculpture for a week in the Shapiro Atrium (Dec. 3rd- Dec. 9th) in order to get the attention of the campus and, hopefully, to change the way students and staff look at recycling. After it is done being put on display, the materials will be reused and recycled.

Raw materials of the sculpture. Constructing the sculpture.

The finished Trash Talks Display ! The happy creators with their creation.

            In addition to this awareness campaign, our group made recycling posters that bring to attention certain aspects of recycling that may not be commonly understood or known by many people.  The posters display suggestions towards how to make small changes in daily life in order to collectively make a large impact on waste production. It also advertises the other recycling campaigns and facilities available on campus (ink cartridge and battery recycling, e-waste recycling, Lighten the Burden, etc.) There are two posters displayed in Shapiro Campus Center on the cork boards of the first and third floors, one poster is displayed in Upper Usdan along the stairwell between lower Usdan and the Boulevard, and there is one poster in each of the two libaries.   We also, sent out useful recycling information through Professor Goldin’s Earth Notes in order to reach the many students and staff on this list serve. By bringing these issues to the attention of students and staff, we hope to encourage more active and innovative ways of practicing recycling other than putting paper and commingled items into the blue bins provided by facilities.

In order to confront the issue of paper recycling, we put scrap paper collection trays in the science and main libraries in order to allow for the clean side of used paper to be utilized.  This is a place for people to deposit paper from accidental print outs, copies, or old handouts that are no longer needed, and to take paper for writing personal notes, printing web CT notes, using as scrap paper, etc.  We created this system in hopes of adding another cycle of reuse to paper before it is recycled so it is used in the most efficient manner possible. We plan on putting two trays in each of the libraries near the copy machines and printers.

One-sided paper recycling tray.

We'd like to give a big thanks to Dennis Finn (Director of Grounds and Vehicles) for being so cooperative with helping us transport our materials and sculpture and giving us input on its construction. He provided us a space to work, building materials, tools, and was never too busy to give us advice and help us out. Mark Metevier (Director of Student Activities) was very receptive to our ideas and did his best to compromise with us to get our posters and sculpture on display as well as to get battery recycling bins in both Shapiro and Usdan student centers. He gave us many suggestions to increase our publicity as well and was very encouraging throughout the approval process. Also, Greg Brady (Brandeis' Environmental Specialist from Triumvirate Environmental) was very receptive and open to bringing us more battery recycling bins with the proper approval. He made himself highly accessible to us even though he does not work on campus as a regular staff. Without the help of these people, our project would not have been possible!