By: Garrett Heath, Staff Writer
Countless times, I have observed students holding aluminum cans or plastic bottles searching the near vicinity in hopes of finding a recycling bin.
In a community like Wofford — where students take initiative in their passions and interests — one would think recycling bins would occupy every corner on campus. However, many students seem to remain unaware of where to
Andrea Liberatore — a senior — articulated her opinion on the issue.
“I think Wofford does a really poor job of educating people about how to recycle or even when the recycling is taking place. I want to help decrease Wofford’s footprint, and recycling seems like the easiest step,” she says. “Since my freshman year, it has improved, but I think it still has a long way to go.”
I presented questions to Bill Littlefield — the assistant director for the physical plant — about waste management throughout campus.
“Recycling is available at all locations on campus,” Littlefield claims. “Containers may not be available everywhere you look, but you should be able to find containers in all of our buildings”.
Littlefield discussed further the Physical Plant’s distinction between recycled goods and regular trash.
“All of our recycling containers should have clear bags in them. We use black bags for regular trash. When our folks pick material up from any location, all containers are serviced at the same time. When it arrives at our lay down yard, the clear bags go into the recycling bin, and the regular trash goes into the trash bin,” he states.
Residence halls used to have recycling containers outside of each dorm. Now, the halls are empty. Students can find containers in the bathrooms or common rooms. The list following this article — provided by Littlefield — provides places on campus to recycle goods.
Wofford Green Alliance, the college’s environmental club, plans to raise awareness on campus on how to properly recycle as well as ways to reduce energy and water use. Those interested in helping reduce Wofford’s ecological footprint are welcome to join the next meeting.
Peyton Profitt — an environmental studies major — hopes for changes in Wofford’s relationship with recycling.
“Since entering Wofford, I have seen student interest in sustainability meander on the edge of relevancy. Unfortunately, many recycling initiatives have failed, and those who have strived to reduce waste and promote sustainable thinking have been discouraged,” she says. “My sophomore year, recycling bins were placed outside of dorm rooms, and a student-led coalition collected recyclables weekly. This project has almost entirely faded from the campus.”
Profitt further analyzes the issues on campus, stating: “There is a deep need for environmental leadership in Wofford’s student body. I believe that the reasons recycling and waste reduction initiatives fail are because of a gap in the dialogue around sustainable practices. Students must be encouraged to think deeply about their consumption habits and acknowledge waste as an environmental and financial and social issue. And although Spartanburg’s waste management facility does recycle, management of that size requires resources in terms of transportation and processing. I feel the administrative body and the student body should embrace sustainable consciousness and work cooperatively to set meaningful waste reduction goals.”
“Since spending time abroad in countries with exponentially lower rates of consumption per capita, I am acutely aware of my relationship with my consumption waste and waste management,” she says. “As an environmental studies major and a senior at Wofford, I am interested in elevating a campus-wide dialogue around sustainability and healthy practices.”
Student groups, like the Wofford Green Alliance, help initiate the conversation about environmental and social responsibility.
“The educational component seems to be missing — many people want to recycle, they just don’t know how,” says Liberatore.
Although recycling may not be perfect, it begins with individual participation. It may seem meaningless, but collective individual effort drives ultimate change.
“The Physical Plant has always supported and will continue to support recycling efforts on campus” says Littlefield. “However, for recycling and waste reduction to be successful on campus, students must drive the initiative and push awareness”.
Where students can recycle in residence halls:
-Lesesne and Wightman – refuse rooms on each floor –trash and blue recycling bins
-Shipp and DuPre – Trash cans located on halls – recycle containers located in stairways. Also, Shipp has some containers located outside of the building.
-Greene – Each hall in the trash area – three trash and three recycling
-Carlisle – Trash Areas have three trash and two recycling
-Marsh – Each bathroom has four trash and four recycling
-Village – Apartments with pads/fences outside have 2 trash (most of these should be brown with the house number on them) and three recycling. The few apartments that do not have the pads outside have them under the porch
-MSBVC floors 1 and 2 – Each refuse room should have three trash and two recycling.
