City offers numerous opportunities for recycling a variety of materials
by John McLaughlin, posted March 16, 2010
It holds your drink, carries your groceries and saves your meat; it can be as delicate as silk or harder than steel.
"It" is plastic, and also reusable, yet so many people fail to fully take advantage of what could be its greatest virtue: recycling it.
Plastic is not the only material you can pitch in the recyling bin. Cans, bottles and the brown boxes and bags they come in are also prime recyling materials. You can also add computers, cartridges of ink and even televisions to the list.
According to the most recent campus facilities recycling report, 1,942 tons of recyclable waste avoided the landfill in 2008, when about two out of every 10 students recycled. Students at MU contributed 44,066 pounds of solid waste per day of which totaled 8,042 tons for the year!
The solid waste recyclables alone saved MU $104,653.98, and if you included the amount of chemicals recycled, the university saved $251,994.98. Go to the MU Campus Facilities Web site for a complete recycling breakdown for MU.
“It is kind of a hassle to keep it somewhere and then drive it somewhere,” Nicole Bonney said, an off-campus resident, referring to having to store and transport her recyclables.
The city of Columbia has an apartment-recycling program in which participating apartment complexes have a recycling day. The city places a container on the apartments premises, so you don’t need to drive to dispose of your collection.
“We have bags at our place,” Dustin Culp said, referring to Columbia’s commingled bagging program where the city provides curbside pick-up for your qualified recyclables. Columbia is currently piloting bin usage in certain neighborhoods.
MU student Joe Holland and his roommate mostly recycle beer cans, but as far as electronics go, Holland said, “not that anything has broken recently, but I would probably just throw it out.”
Because computers, electronics and office supplies are recyclable too, for a small charge, numerous places in Columbia offer drop-off services. Recycling these materials helps conserve the precious metals that make our technology possible. The city also offers information on where you can drop-off your unwanted electronics.
The Environmental Protection Agency provides several benefits of recycling such as:
- The expansion and protection of domestic manufacturing jobs as well as U.S. competitiveness.
- The reduction of landfill waste.
- The prevention of pollution caused in the manufacturing of plastic, glass and aluminum.
- The conservation of energy.
- The reduction of greenhouse gases.
- The conservation of natural resources.
- Helping to ensure a healthy environment for your children.
Recycling is not always convenient and easy, but it saves a lot of resources. Connect with MU and the city of Columbia to start doing your part.
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