Loyola is helping preserve Louisiana’s natural beauty – one bottle at a time.
Last spring, Loyola became an affiliate of Keep Louisiana Beautiful, which is an anti-litter nonprofit whose mission is to preserve Louisiana’s beauty through education, public awareness, and community engagement.
According to KLB’s website, to become a university affiliate applying institutions must conduct a waste audit, litter survey and assessment, form an affiliate leadership committee, design an affiliate logo, create a work plan, and participate in “Love the Boot Week” – which Loyola accomplished during its annual Earth week celebration.
Since then, recycling cans with graphic labels that glean “Let LA shine” have been scattered around campus for student use.
On Feb. 1, Loyola’s partnership with KLB will expand to include recycling stations for glass products, which was made possible by a $4,800 grant from the nonprofit.
The added glass recycling stations will be placed around Monroe Hall and at the north entrance of the West Rd. parking garage, according to Mark Tobler, coordinator for the KLB program and environment program research associate.
“It will reduce the amount of recyclables that are currently going to landfills,” Tobler said.
According to QCR Recycling Equipment, it takes one glass bottle a million years to break down and making new glass generates greenhouse gasses and waste while recycling glass conserves energy, natural resources, and reduces waste/emissions.
Along with the funding from KLB, the added recycling stations were further made possible by a collaboration with Glass Half Full, an organization dedicated to glass recycling and coastal restoration.
The partnership, which was formed during last year’s Earth Week events, is putting the school closer to their goal of sustainability, according to Ellie Jackson, Glass Half Full’s outreach coordinator.
