Don't Reduce, Don't Reuse, Recycle As Much as You Can!
Justin Lacy: Contributing Writer
Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Op/Ed
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for going green, but I can't see how competing over who can send the most recyclables to the plant has anything to do with the word reduce.
High schools and universities are always wielding the recycling race to promote better waste management. But by giving out awards based on quantity, these competitions neglect the most important components of dealing with trash: prevention and minimalism.
UNCW is no stranger to the recycling race, and neither am I. Last year, as a resident of Galloway Hall, I participated in the Galloway Goes Green incentive program. The grand prize: a twenty-inch flat-screen TV. I hoarded aluminum, paper, plastic, and cardboard like I needed it to last the winter, and I don't even watch much TV. I downed two cases of bottled water, fast. I urged friends, "drink lots of soda this week," as I went door to door for offerings. And I wasn't alone-I didn't even win. My competitors were ruthless. Someone even tried recycling a stack of fresh, unread newspapers, just put out that day.
We wanted that TV, and waste reduction was far from our minds. Just think about it: if you were in such a race, why pour yourself a glass of water, when you can guzzle down an Aquafina to score some plastic? Why reuse that empty bottle by filling it back up, when you can just chuck it in the bin and open a new one?
From February 1 to March 28, UNCW participated in Recyclemania 2009, a competition between 512 schools in the US, with rankings in several categories. Some of the categories encourage schools to produce recyclable waste. The Guerilla Prize is granted to whoever can collect the highest gross tonnage of recyclables, regardless of campus population. In the Targeted Materials category, schools compete within divisions of paper, corrugated cardboard, bottles and cans, and food service organics, contending over who can produce the most per person. It makes you wonder if Stephens College, the 2009 winner of the paper division with 36.20 pounds of paper per person, was paying the local mill to ship its product straight to the recycling bin. Should we be awarding people for using that much paper in ten weeks?
High schools and universities are always wielding the recycling race to promote better waste management. But by giving out awards based on quantity, these competitions neglect the most important components of dealing with trash: prevention and minimalism.
UNCW is no stranger to the recycling race, and neither am I. Last year, as a resident of Galloway Hall, I participated in the Galloway Goes Green incentive program. The grand prize: a twenty-inch flat-screen TV. I hoarded aluminum, paper, plastic, and cardboard like I needed it to last the winter, and I don't even watch much TV. I downed two cases of bottled water, fast. I urged friends, "drink lots of soda this week," as I went door to door for offerings. And I wasn't alone-I didn't even win. My competitors were ruthless. Someone even tried recycling a stack of fresh, unread newspapers, just put out that day.
We wanted that TV, and waste reduction was far from our minds. Just think about it: if you were in such a race, why pour yourself a glass of water, when you can guzzle down an Aquafina to score some plastic? Why reuse that empty bottle by filling it back up, when you can just chuck it in the bin and open a new one?
From February 1 to March 28, UNCW participated in Recyclemania 2009, a competition between 512 schools in the US, with rankings in several categories. Some of the categories encourage schools to produce recyclable waste. The Guerilla Prize is granted to whoever can collect the highest gross tonnage of recyclables, regardless of campus population. In the Targeted Materials category, schools compete within divisions of paper, corrugated cardboard, bottles and cans, and food service organics, contending over who can produce the most per person. It makes you wonder if Stephens College, the 2009 winner of the paper division with 36.20 pounds of paper per person, was paying the local mill to ship its product straight to the recycling bin. Should we be awarding people for using that much paper in ten weeks?
Be the first to comment on this story