By Rachel Sell\/\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood\u2019s recycling efforts fall far too short of the sustainability that is needed now more than ever, despite the progress made in its composting program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an institution, Hood should be doing more to strengthen its recycling efforts and to provide information to students about which materials can be recycled and which cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A recent study conducted on campus by Sustaining Hood President Gabby Diaz indicated that a significant number of non-recyclables find their way into recycling bins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if Hood provided recycling information to students, there\u2019s no telling how many would take advantage of it. One of the largest barriers to recycling is the doubt of its effectiveness because no one really knows what happens to the recycling gathered at Hood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Diaz, collecting recycling is under the jurisdiction of the custodial staff at Hood. If there are materials in the recycling bins that are not recyclable, the entire bin is thrown in with the trash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe recycling we do, on a very small level, never even makes it there\u2026 it\u2019s all just labeled trash,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During her research, Diaz was told that recycling didn\u2019t even make it onto campus facilities\u2019 list, given all the other things they manage daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of schools have waste management positions,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cWe need somebody [whose] whole job is to manage the waste here, to take that responsibility off of the facilities department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a larger scale, the effectiveness of recycling is also doubted because many materials that are widely believed to be recyclable are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlastics are the most complicated thing to recycle by far,\u201d Frederick County Landfill Recycling Program Manager Rebecca Culler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Culler explained that many plastics end up going into the trash at the end of their journey anyway due to the resin type they\u2019re made from, as well as what materials and additives are mixed in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To further understand the significance of recycling at a local level, people need to understand the other end of the spectrum, the issue of waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the EPA, the current estimate of waste generated per person is nine pounds a day, including everything from food waste to recyclable material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Frederick County Landfill, where Culler has worked for seven years, trash is only added to the landfill for two weeks out of every year. For the other 50 weeks, the facility sends out 50 to 55 trash trucks a day, each carrying 13 to 14 tons, to Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want [our site] to last until at least 2045,\u201d Culler said. \u201cNo one in Frederick County is ever going to want another landfill built here, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The landfill also deals with compost, but there are limitations. Culler encouraged students to compost food waste on a small scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike recycling at Hood, composting endeavors at our college have been largely successful. In partnership with Key City Compost, the food waste gathered in compost bins in the dining hall, generated by students and through the food prep in the kitchen, is utilized for compost instead of forfeited as waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though the composting bin has only been around for two semesters, it has already shown great promise. Additionally, the compost collection isn\u2019t terribly expensive. \u201cIt\u2019s not a huge number, but there is a cost associated with it,\u201d Director of Dining Services John Bragel said.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If Hood could use the compost program as an example of how to properly dispose of waste, it could seek better results for its recycling system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the reasons that the composting program has had success is because it has the school\u2019s support behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no department or administrator that is truly responsible for recycling at Hood, but in today\u2019s world, there is no excuse for institutions to ignore the issue of waste, especially when campuses generate so much of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ##<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"