New recycling bins have been placed alongside trashcans at the stairwell and building exits on both the first and second floors. The waste stations provide the full range of options for disposing paper, aluminum, plastic and garbage.

The project is designed to address the anecdotal and quantitative findings that trashcans in classrooms across campus are significantly filled with recyclables. The most recent campus waste audit (January 2010) found that almost 25 percent of campus trash should have been placed in the recycling stream [i.e., office paper, bottles, aluminum, and cardboard]. Research shows that effective trash and recycling behaviors are achieved when all available bins are placed together and every option is equally convenient (McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999; Cole, 2007).

During the pilot project trashcans will be removed from individual classrooms; students can find a waste station visible from the entrance to each classroom. The College currently spends $2,445 per month on average removing garbage from campus; recycling removal is currently funded through proceeds from the sale of the materials at no cost to the College. Plastic trashcan liners cost the College $7,000 annually; if continued for one year, this pilot project would eliminate the use of at least 2,250 plastic liners.

The pilot was initiated by the campus Sustainability Committee and is led by Dean Garry Walton and Facilities Services Manager Harry Cadman.

For more information on sustainability efforts at Meredith, visit www.meredith.edu/sustainability.

Date Submitted: 2011-01-10