Recycling uneven on campus

Some things come naturally. Recycling is often not one of those things.

For Prof. Eugene Sevi, being environmentally conscious is part of his lifestyle. He drinks his water out of a stainless steel Klean Kanteen and recycles nearly everything possible at his home.

But student Dale Stevens often forgets to recycle at school, even though he is a recycler at home.

There is a dramatic difference between the recycling efforts of the administration and the students at Norwich, according to David Magida, the chief administrative officer. Students, he said, don't recycle a high percentage of their trash.

"We do recycle an awful lot here," said Magida. "We have a very high percentage of material recycled from the administrative areas and the academic areas, but we don't get a great percentage at all from the dorms."

NU recycles everything from plastic bottles to the furniture in the dorm rooms, according to Magida. "We get literally tons of things to recycle and that is just the way we operate," he said.

"The dining hall operations are obviously a large consumer of materials," Magida said, "but they recycle things just as aggressively as the other operations. The dumpster that is filled with recycling is emptied more often than the trash." All the food waste on campus is composted as well, according to Magida.

"From an administrative end I am quite pleased as to how we are doing," Magida said. But he said things are different among the students.

"We have a very extensive program for recycling paper, cardboard, metals and plastics," Magida said, "and we would very much like to include the dorms, but it needs to be a student initiative."

Christopher Ross, 21, a construction and engineering management senior from Rochester, N.Y., sees an effort made towards recycling in the Wise Campus Center building, "but the dorms and educational buildings have failed to make the jump towards the green side."

"In public places such as the Wise Campus Center and academic buildings, I think the Norwich community does a good job with encouraging people to recycle," said Jess Morris, a 21-year-old senior studies in war and peace from Rochester, N.Y.

The issue seems to lie in the lack of resources for the students in the dormitories, according to Morris.

"I often see people throwing paper, and plastic bottles in the trash simply because there is nowhere else to put them," Morris said. "Offering recycling bins in the dormitories would be an easy way for Norwich to go green and become more environmentally friendly."

"I find it easier to recycle at home than at Norwich," he said.

"There is not enough pressure to recycle, and the convenience to do so is low," said Dale Stevens, a 24-year-old sophomore computer science major from Leeds, Mass.

More outlets for recycling are in demand in general areas around campus, according to Greg Wider, a 20-year-old sophomore English and education major from Grantham, N.H.

"The school does a decent job in diversifying its recyclables, but needs to advertise it more readily for the students," Wider said.

Caleb Beasley, 19, a civil engineering sophomore from Shreveport, La., said he will recycle if the collection container is nearby.

"I feel that Norwich needs to add more containers and try to make it known that they actually collect it and not just throw it away with the normal trash," Beasley said.

Students throw away the majority of their papers and recyclable materials in their rooms, according to C. William Thaxter, a 19-year-old sophomore architecture major from Pepperell, Mass. "The dorms are equipped with only trash cans and no outlet for recycling, making students throw away recyclable materials," he said. "If recycle outlets were stationed in the dorms I believe students would recycle more."

Few recycling receptacle are located around campus for student usage, which can be found near the mail room and in computer labs, allowing for students to dispose of their paper responsibly, according to Thaxter.

When recycling bins aren't nearby, students use trash bins.

"If students are given the choice of recycling they will choose that alternative," Thaxter said.

Norwich needs a system to help people recycle reasonably, according to Sevi. "We must focus on paper and plastic containers, and provide places where students can recycle in dorms and academic buildings, that will help and cut down our solid waste," Sevi said.

"I believe that recycling, even the smallest attempt, can lead to better habits, and a better and cleaner earth," said Thaxter.

"We are extremely committed to recycling and green operations and we are very good at it, but we don't tell a very good story," Magida said.

The problem lies solely within the student body, corps and civilian, according to Wider.

"Overall, I believe that both corps and civilian students have the same attitude toward recycling," Wider said. "As long as there is an opportunity to recycle and people know about it, more will happen."