Rowan Recycles

Recyclemania is sweeping the nation (no pun intended) and Rowan University has a front seat for the ride.

In 2006 Rowan placed third for waste minimization in Recyclemania, a 10-week nationwide competition, out of some 100 colleges and universities. The number of competing schools doubled in 2007 and Rowan still placed among the top 10 for minimizing waste from campus. Even better, we placed 1st out of 30 competing schools in the Northeast. (And just who did we beat? Such also-rans as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Villanova and Brown).

Surprised? Don't be. Rowan faculty, staff and students have made a commitment to recycle and it's evident from the President's office on down.

"Recycling is the law in New Jersey but it's more than that," said John Imperatore, PE, Director of Facilities, Resource Management. "Simply put, it's a waste to use something once and throw it in the trash."

Throughout the academic year Rowan hosts a number of activities designed with recycling in mind such as Move-In Cardboard Capture, held during the first few days of the fall semester, and Homecoming Parade, a zero-waste event in which virtually every bit of paper, wood, wire and paint is stripped from floats and recycled.

"We captured three tons of cardboard during the two days of freshman move-in in 2006 and we expect to do even better this year," Imperatore said. "As for Homecoming, the lifespan of those floats is about 12 hours. We tell students not to build tanks because they must be disassembled. In 2006 we filled four, 40-foot dumpsters and all of it was recycled."

Other annual and on-going programs include an effort to collect and reprocess old cell phones and computers/electronic equipment. In August, Rowan donated seven pallets of old computers and other electronics through a partnership with Apple Computer and the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Student Services

Student recycling coordinator Adam Yarina said he and two other student volunteers do all they can to spread the gospel of recycling but convincing some of their peers to pitch in can be something of a challenge.

"It isn't that they don't want to recycle but some students wonder if it's worth the effort, if what they recycle doesn't end up in a landfill anyway," he said. "I understand the cynicism but it does work. If people go trough the trouble of putting recyclables where they're supposed to, they absolutely come out of the trash stream, get broken down and reused."

He described the benefits of recycling as "manifold" and not just because less material ultimately goes to a landfill.

"We have only a finite amount of landfill space," said Adam, 22, a journalism/biology double major who's in his senior year. "If you put a soda can into a recycling bin it can be reused for a fraction of what it takes to get the aluminum out of the ground and make a new can. It leaves a fraction of the environmental footprint and that's what we're concerned about."

Stick it in the bin

In an effort to boost an already strong recycling rate, the University in 2007 bought 17 new metal recycling units, each partitioned to separate recyclable cans, bottles and containers from trash.

The units, which replace 34 older, less attractive collection sites, feature customizable front panels for messages that may be changed throughout the year. The black semi-gloss units are stationed strategically around campus for ease of use.

"They're one-stop waste and recycle collection units," Imperatore said. "Ultimately, we're building greater recycle awareness. The more we recycle the more we protect our environment for our and future generations."