Hopkins to compete in recycling contest

The University is increasing its efforts to recycle and reduce waste generation as RecycleMania, an eight-week competition between colleges lasting from Feb. 1 to March 28, returns to campus this spring.

Leana Houser, the solid waste and recycling manager for the Homewood campus, described the nature of the event and the goals that members of the Hopkins community hope to achieve through it.

“RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities,” Houser wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “Over an 8-week period each spring, colleges across the United States and Canada report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are in turn ranked in various categories based on who recycles the most on a per capita basis, as well as which schools have the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste and which schools generate the least amount of combined trash and recycling.”

She added that this initiative provides a platform for and spotlight on waste generation, although she does not believe that recycling is an overlooked issue at Hopkins. Instead, she said that students and staff are becoming increasingly active within the recycling movement and more motivated to make big changes in the University’s recycling habits.

“I don’t think there is a lack of recycling initiative at Hopkins at all,” Houser wrote. “We’ve seen the recycling rates increase over the years from an average of 26 percent in the 2012/13 academic year to 44 percent this year. Students, staff and faculty are definitely engaged and interested in doing the right thing, but it admittedly can be confusing,” Houser wrote.

This issue at Hopkins may stem from the nature of the University’s recycling bins, with different ones labeled to categorize the types of waste that should be deposited in each. This challenge, Houser believes, contributes to the relatively low amount of material she sees within the recycling compartments of trash bins.

“I honestly think this is because people are confused and are worried about throwing their waste in the wrong bin so they default to the incinerate. To me, that means that people are more conscious of their actions which is always a positive step. Our challenge is to make the process less confusing, more convenient and hopefully second nature,” Houser wrote.

RecycleMania will allow people across the University to receive weekly email updates about where waste travels after leaving Hopkins and how students and staff can positively impact this journey.

RecycleMania’s campaign will use social media platforms. Houser emphasized the power of these platforms to educate the entire Hopkins community.

According to Houser, consequences of limited recycling include damage to the environment and the economy, as recycling waste creates more jobs than incineration or landfilling.

“Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job; landfilling 10,000 tons of waste creates six jobs; recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 36 jobs,” Houser wrote. “The incinerator just a few miles away where our trash goes emits dioxins, particulate matter and toxic metals that we breathe here on the Homewood campus. If you aren’t inclined to dispose of your waste responsibly for environmental reasons, concern about your health and our economy might inspire you to ‘Think Before You Toss!’”

Houser explained that she believes RecycleMania will make a difference in the lives of Hopkins students and faculty. She envisions the initiative helping students to realize that each decision they make affects the environment, including their buying and recycling habits.

“Our hope is that during and after RecycleMania, people will be more conscious about the waste they create, how they dispose of it and better understand the health, economic and environmental implications of waste disposal,” Houser wrote. “Reducing their waste from the beginning by bringing reusable bags and mugs to the store or coffee shop and buying with more thoughtfulness about whether an item is really needed [also helps].”

Houser explained that she wants students and faculty to take charge as activists for positive change in the Hopkins community.

“I want them to feel empowered to take the extra 30 seconds to sort their waste properly and know that they are contributing to something positive,” Houser wrote.

As part of its RecycleMania efforts, Hopkins has launched a “Waste Bin Character Contest,” in which students were challenged to find waste bins with pictures of celebrities located around campus. This program aims to increase students’ awareness of where the color-coded waste bins are located.

Homewood Recycling Services has had another unique publicity event called “Composting with Cornelius.” Cornelius is a giant corn suit that Sarah Ragen, a student intern at Homewood Recycling Services, wears. As part of the CornToCup Campaign, Cornelius has taken several pictures that promote composting corn-based plastic from Homewood dining locations.

According to Ragen, teaching students to properly recycle is one goal of the University’s participation in RecycleMania.

“A general rule is that if it was once alive, you can compost it,” Ragen said. “And paper is made from trees. More things don’t belong in the trash than you would think. [If you are] wondering which bin to throw it in, the incinerate bin should be your last resort. I see a lot of napkins in the trash... but that’s something that really belongs in the compost.”