Did you know that the amount of energy it takes to power a two-person house for an entire year is equal to the energy saved by recycling one ton of plastic bottles? Did you know that recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours? Did you know that if the US recycling levels reach 75%, the reduced impact would be the equivalent of removing 50 million cars from the roads? The benefits from recycling are huge and the process is simple, so the question that arises is, “Why don’t we all just do it?”

From our very first Earth Day in elementary school, we were all taught the importance of “The Three R’s”: reduce, reuse, recycle. Your family may do it at home; kudos to them if that is the case, but what about at Wofford? Do you take the time to place that post-workout empty plastic water bottle in the green recycling bin? Even if you do, are you positive that bottle will get recycled or will it meet the same dumpster to landfill fate as your dirty napkins from lunch? Karen Gravely, a junior environmental studies and government double major heard these mysteries concerning recycling on campus and wanted to get involved to help set the rumors straight and get more students to confidently recycle.

Last year, a recycling program in conjunction with Junk Matters LLC was started on Wofford’s campus. Gravely took note of the program and was excited to hop on board as soon as possible. Gravely and Robert Massey, a junior government major and math minor, joined the program this year as a part of a work-study. The two distribute, collect and dump the bins; but the work doesn’t stop there. The bins provided are a one stop collection bin, all students have to do is place their items into the bin and Junk Matters separates the contents to be sent away to their proper recycling facilities. Gravely said she wanted to set the record straight on what can and cannot be recycled and how their collection program works.

Q: How do students get a bin?
A: Bins should have been distributed to every room or in some buildings every suite. We do have extra if someone has no idea where his or her bin is located.

Q: What can and cannot be recycled in the bins?
A: We can recycle plastic (including cups & utensils), paper, cardboard (be sure to flatten it) and aluminum (cans). We cannot recycle food, Styrofoam, Zach’s cups, or any cup with wax coating, pizza, flip flops — just a few of the weird stuff I’ve found in the bins

Q: When is pickup?
A: Pickup for Greene, Marsh, Carlisle, Shipp and DuPre dorms is Tuesday afternoons. For upper classman dorms, the Village, Phase V, Wightman and Lesesne, pickup is on Thursday afternoons.

Joseph McMillan, Wofford alumnus and founder of Junk Matters LLC, was unavailable for comment on the program but Gravely says the success of last year gives her hope for an even more successful second year of recycling. Gravely and Massey make it easy to recycle; all you have to do is throw your empty cans and pizza boxes (without the pizza), into the green bin and rest easy knowing that they will be recycled properly.

— Sara Frances Koontz