The Green Wave is greener than Loyola – in recycling efforts since Hurricane Katrina, at least.
According to Rick Yelton, Loyola University Community Action Plan adviser, Browning Ferris Industries provided Loyola a recycling service that collected plastics, cans and paper before Hurricane Katrina.
Loyola halted recycling at an institutional level after the storm, and the school has yet to reinstate a recycling program on campus. Before, Physical Plant had a program for mixed paper recycling and newspaper recycling. WFF Facility Services, Loyola’s contract custodial services, moved the materials to the curbside containers, which BFI collected, free of charge. BFI suspended its recycling program after the storm.
“There are no firm plans to resume recycling, nor are there plans not to,” said David Huffman, director of Physical Plant. He also said that a return of a campus-wide recycling program would likely depend on a return of recycling in the metropolitan area on a regular basis.
LUCAP now provides recycling for white paper on campus, which Yelton said is provided through the Legacy Project. The Legacy Project Office Recycling, which provides recycling pickup of paper, aluminum cans, cardboard and shredding, provides this service to Loyola for free. LUCAP would like to expand the program and collect other types of paper and cans, Yelton said.
He added that the program would likely not include plastics because it couldn’t generate a good profit, but companies can recycle cans and different types of paper without losing money.
“Everybody wants to recycle,” said Robert Thomas, interim director of the School of Mass Communication. “It’s like a low-hanging fruit in environmentalism.”
LUCAP’s work with Legacy Project started last year, Yelton said. It hasn’t expanded the program because there isn’t enough student power to do so. Yelton said that in order to expand into cans and more paper, LUCAP “would need someone whose (full-time) job it was” to be in charge of the program.
Thomas said Loyola was in serious talks with Tulane University about merging their environmental sustainability programs with Loyola’s efforts. Thomas said Loyola would pay Tulane between $10,000 and $13,000 to become one unit.
“We’re tiny,” Thomas said. “It’s difficult. They’re a much bigger physical institution.”
Thomas also said it would work well for Tulane to take Loyola on as a partner – Loyola would organize the materials, and Tulane would pick them up for processing. Thomas said this would increase the amount of recyclable materials for Tulane and benefit both universities.
Tulane offers recycling in its residence halls for all types of paper, plastic containers, aluminum cans and clear glass. Each residence hall has a specific area designated for recycling. Offices and other facilities feature recycling for all types of paper and requests can be made for cardboard recycling. Several collection locations around Tulane accept ink cartridges, cell phones and rechargeable batteries as well.
Tara Templeton can be reached at [email protected].
