Since restarting its recycling program in April 2023 after a three-year-long cancellation, the University of Idaho has placed a large emphasis on the importance of students recycling on campus, showcased by the implementation of a campus recycling ambassador initiative.
The recycling program was initially shut down due to the pandemic and, at the time, practiced multi-stream recycling. Multi-stream recycling is the recycling method where individuals must sort multiple kinds of recyclable materials into different bins. This method caused contamination rates to become as high as 90%, resulting in less materials being recycled overall.
Now, UI has made the switch to single-stream recycling, which allows recyclable materials to be grouped together and reduces the number of contaminants. This change highlights the ease of recycling as one step towards a more sustainable campus.
Sarah Dawson, the UI sustainability director, encourages students to recycle to help keep finite materials out of landfills and reduce the need to extract new, raw materials. “Recycling… reduces the amount of carbon being emitted to the atmosphere, it reduces air and water pollution, it protects biodiversity, and it creates jobs, “Dawson said.
The change from multi-stream to single-stream recycling follows the UI Recycling Initiative, as listed in the 2022 Sustainable Solutions Plan. This document also emphasizes how the university is committed to sustainability and responsible stewardship of the natural environment and estimated that the annual waste diversion on campus is around 100 tons.
Ella Weber, ASUI director of community and civic involvement, believes that a more sustainable campus is possible and that recycling can play a part in that.
“Individual actions can empower your personal activism – and if recycling is a part of that, that’s great,” Weber said.
However, she does not think that recycling is the only way to become sustainable and that the university could be taking a different approach.
“Dumping thousands of dollars into a recycling program isn’t the solution to building climate resiliency on our campus,” said Weber. “The University of Idaho’s 2022 Sustainability White Paper outlines a $35,000 budget – just for marketing – for their Recycling Reboot project. The White Paper’s recommendations do not serve the same purpose as long-term action plans that include tangible steps to achieve goals and serve as a way for students to hold the university accountable. From prioritizing community investments rather than mutual funds with big oil companies to publishing a climate action plan with steps and metrics, it’s not too late for the university to address the climate crisis with the urgency science demands and our community deserves.”
While Weber may be right – promoting a recycling program does not fix all the sustainability issues on-campus – students can still make a difference by recycling, which can lead to a decrease in air pollution, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The University of Idaho continues to work on finding sustainable solutions that promote a healthy future for the environment.
More information about recycling on campus is available at https://www.uidaho.edu/sustainability/waste/recycle/how-to.
Rebekah Weaver can be reached at [email protected].