With more and more emphasis on environmental sustainability and the greening of college campuses, it is vital that Loyola make efforts to recycle the materials generated by the entire community. 

The recycling program hopes to encourage environmental awareness and support responsible consumption. 

As a campus community, we can set an example to others by decreasing the adverse impacts on our environment and conserving precious, natural resources.

Loyola reinstated recycling in the spring of 2008. Before Katrina, Loyola had a recycling agreement with Browning Ferris, but it was discontinued after the storm. 

There now is an in-house program for office paper, magazines, newspaper, aluminum cans and bimetal cans. 

The program was started with donations from the Academic Provost’s office, LUCAP, University Ministry, Res Life, the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monore Library and a few faculty members. Physical Plant, Twomey Print Shop, LUCAP and other interested students provided bin installation or recycling education.

Recycling of large metal objects was held last March and a program for cell phones, rechargeable batteries, ink jets and toner cartridges was initiated recently with donations from the Office of Service Learning.

Currently, WFF employees collect office paper and students doing service learning collect the other commodities.

All of these efforts are appreciated, as they have been purely voluntary.
For the future, information is being gathered about recycling athletic shoes into playground surfaces.  Also, research is being done about recycling computers and other electronic equipment.

Another possibility is the recycling of corrugated cardboard and phone books, which constitute about 10 percent of Loyola’s waste stream. A baler is needed for those commodities.

Several people have questioned why Loyola has not started plastics recycling.
Loyola’s Sustainability Committee wishes to encourage the use of sustainable beverage containers instead.  The reasons are many. 

Over the years, more and more manufacturers are shifting from using glass and paper containers to plastic for their products. The number of these containers is in the billions. 
Unfortunately, major bottling companies are not incorporating post consumer, recycled plastic into new bottles at the rate that they have promised. 

Ideally, the producers of the bottles should be responsible for the products that they are making in such vast numbers.

But the reality is that it is cheaper for bottling companies to make new bottles from petroleum than it is to recycle them. 

The cost to ship plastic for recycling is high because it is a light material that takes up a large volume.

Economically, the plastic market is low. The recycling value of most plastic is only 3 to 8 cents a pound.  In comparison, aluminum’s value ranges from 25 to 80 cents a pound.
In reality, only 5 to 10 percent of all plastic produced is actually recycled with the remaining 90 to 95 percent ending up in landfills or as litter.

The oceans are becoming literal garbage dumps as currents concentrate the floating plastic in areas larger than the continental United States.

It entangles animals and is eaten by marine life, causing digestive blockages, poisoning and starvation.

The environmental impact of using a non-biodegradable substance to make disposable items borders on insanity. 

In view of this, some college campuses and communities have banned plastic bottles altogether.

What can we in the Loyola community do to reduce plastic use? 

First, we could return to aluminum can vending machines as the aluminum recycling program is well established.

Second, we could install filtered water dispensing machines or at least use individual filtration pitchers to fill reusable bottles or mugs instead of buying bottled water.  

Third, we could use the mugs provided by Sodexo for the fountain drink dispensers in the dining area. 

In general, Loyola should aim to reduce overall plastic use by “pre-cycling” which is the concept of consciously considering the environmental impact of any items we purchase and modifying our buying habits accordingly. 

If we wish to move towards a greener campus and to take care of the earth, thought should be given to these issues.

Kathy Anzelmo is a biology professor. She can be reached at [email protected]

On The Record is a weekly column open to Loyola faculty and staff.Those who are interested can email letter @loyno.edu.