In an effort to promote sustainability on campus, Simpson College has introduced a new recycling program. This program was developed due to large amounts of non-recyclable items contaminating the bins, causing extra fees for the contamination and emptying the bins.
On October 22, three bins were placed on campus. One of the 20-yard bins was put in the Washington and Colonial parking lot, and the other in the Buxton and Picken lot.
“The idea was to find a place on the edge of campus that would not take too many parking spaces,” said Daryl Sasser, assistant professor of history.
The 2-yard bin is in the Barker parking lot. The bin in the Barker lot was explicitly chosen to be placed there because of the pilot program, which was completed with first-year students.
“I have taken away that people on campus have the desire to recycle; they just don’t always know the best or the most appropriate way to do so. One non recyclable item in the recycling bin contaminates everything else in there, meaning that all of the ‘recycled’ items have to be thrown away,” said Student Body President Sarah Roberts.
Simpson College has been trying to create a functioning recycling program on campus for years.
“Last year, President Byers called for the creation of a Sustainability Task Force. This group is made up of students, staff, faculty, and Brian Schultes, head of campus facilities,” said Sasser.
The first time the sustainability task force met was last March; at the time, the task force didn’t know what direction to take.
“We were looking at other things like solar paneling on top of Pfeiffer during the remodel, and other things like that,” said junior Makayla Paulsen. “It was mostly getting recycling back online since there was so much confusion with the waste management provider we used before because there were yellow lids, but people would just throw trash in them.”
Each recycling bin has segmented cardboard, glass, and tin compartments to prevent cross-contamination.
“We are able to see, like ‘okay,’ this is where you recycle and make the conscious effort to put things in the right spot,” said Paulsen.
Previously, the bins came from Waste Management. “Brian Schultes worked with TRM Disposal in Indianola to get new dumpsters placed on campus. These bins are being paid for through campus services, and we are no longer paying Waste Management for their dumpster (or their fees),” said Sasser.
With its new recycling program, Simpson College tries to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. With an active recycling program, the college aims to reduce waste and promote responsibility on campus.
“I think it is important to have recycling on campus because we use a large amount of recyclable materials. We want to be a more sustainable campus, and this is one step,” said Roberts.
Leading by example, this program inspires positive change within the Simpson College community and beyond. Simpson College is excited to see the positive impact of the new recycling program on campus.
“Recycling is back, and it’s more budget-friendly,” said Paulsen.
