2008 Woodie Awards
Valley Lacks Recycling Program
Participation and funding are blamed for Valley's unsuccessful past recycling plans.
Marc Howard
Issue date: 10/19/05 Section: News
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California mandates that all state institutions recycle 50 percent of all industrial waste material, such as paper and trimmings from shrubs and plants and grass.
Valley recycles more than 60 percent of those materials, according to Vice President of Administrative Services Tom Jacobsmeyer.
Recycling bins in the campus library and other buildings help the campus meet its goals. But efforts to create a campus program for recycling glass, plastic and aluminum have failed.
"It's been tried several times before and has not been successful," said Jacobsmeyer. "It's not that [the administration] is not concerned, it's that it's not as easy as it sounds to set up a program."
Jacobsmeyer added that a campus-wide recycling program would be an expensive undertaking, requiring additional personnel. He also said that it's difficult to get the cooperation necessary to sustain such a program.
Associated Student Union Environmental Affairs Commissioner Rachel Davis has made it her main goal to set up a recycling program that includes glass, plastic and aluminum, but she is facing difficulties.
"There is a lot of work that goes into setting up a recycling program," said Davis. "You need the support of a lot of people, from the faculty and staff and from to the students." Davis went on to suggest that the student support is not there.
Some students and departments have made it their mission to recycle for the good of the environment and to raise a little cash.
Microbiology lab technician, Audra Labelle, is trying to help Valley improve its recycling grade. She has created a recycling program for the Life Sciences building where she works. She orders small recycling receptacles through the website www.bottlesandcans.com and places them in the classrooms and offices of the building.
"It should be a necessity for us to have a recycling program here," said Labelle. "Look at the amount of paper that's generated around here."
Labelle's program works. The microbiology department has been able to use the money generated from recycling to create a petty-cash fund to buy food for their animals so that professors don't have to dip into their pockets.
"I think we should be recycling here," said accounting major Lucy Jackson. "But honestly I think that even if there are recycling bins here, students are going to just toss their stuff in the nearest trash can."
