University of Wisconsin-Stout student Isaac McInnis wants people to talk about garbage.
Students, faculty and staff need to discuss waste management, he said, and the university taking part in the RecycleMania nationwide collegiate competition is one way to help do that. The competition started Feb. 4 and continues through Saturday, March 31.
“Our participation in this competition shows the campus, community and world that we are serious about sustainability,” said McInnis, of Cadott, president of the GreenSense student group and the Stout Student Association director of sustainability.
“Recycling isn’t really about reducing waste,” added McInnis, 21, a senior in environmental science. “It’s about being a part of an evolved, global civilization. Reducing our waste is critical if we are to continue to exist as a nation and a species. Gone are the days of endless growth and infinite abundance of resources. The future is here. It’s us. We must act upon our knowledge of science and sustainability to ensure a prosperous future for ourselves and our fellow humans.”
UW-Stout has been the RecycleMania leader in the UW System the past four years, said Sarah Rykal, sustainability coordinator for UW-Stout. Last year, UW-Stout ranked 44th in the nation against 207 universities participating in the challenge.
Last year the UW-Stout community recycled 64,020 pounds of materials, Rykal said. The community composted 64,370 pounds of food waste. About 127,000 pounds of garbage was generated during the competition time.
“About 25 percent was recyclables, 25 percent compost materials and 50 percent trash. That is considered good in the U.S. and Canada,” Rykal said. “Obviously we have a lot more work to do.”
Rykal credited UW-Stout’s success in the contest because of the campuswide composting initiative.
The campus also has filtered water hydration stations across campus to cut down on disposable plastic water bottle usage. Dining services offers reusable food containers for takeout, reducing throwaway containers, she noted. Participants do have to initially buy a container for the program.
One of the biggest wastes that could be reduced is paper towel usage, Rykal said, noting paper towels can be composted but that using an electric hand dryer is more sustainable.
“Paper towels have to be touched 16 times by our custodial staff from the time they get on campus to when they leave campus,” Rykal said.
Education is the key to increasing recycling and cutting down waste, Rykal said. However, if campus community members are in doubt whether an item is recyclable, they are encouraged to throw it in the waste basket rather than risk contaminating other recyclable materials. Then, they should contact the Sustainability Office to learn how to do better next time.
To learn more about sustainability on campus, contact the Sustainability Office.
###
Photo
UW-Stout student Shannon Hoyt recycles a plastic bottle at the Memorial Student Center. UW-Stout again is competing in RecycleMania, a nationwide collegiate competition.
Sarah Rykal
