Bridgewater, Va. -Bridgewater College’s once robust recycling program has become practically non-existent, despite global advancements in sustainability, according to campus professors.
Dr. Timothy Kreps, Chair of the Sustainability Committee and Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, said, “The change is due to the recycling market collapse.”
Recycling Market
It might seem like Bridgewater College cut its recycling programs by choice, but the reality is more complex. The collapse of the plastic market happened almost overnight, and since plastic was the most recycled item on campus, Bridgewater College was heavily impacted.
“So, most of the plastic recycling was gone and it was almost impossible to recycle plastic anymore,” Dr. Kreps said. “Plastic recycling [at BC] was our biggest recyclable, so much of the United States recyclables was being sent.”
According to Mike Ives from the NY Times, since the 1990s, the world has shipped its waste paper, discarded plastic bottles, and discarded plastic bags to China.
According to Greenpeace, in 2018, most of the US exported plastic waste was sent to China, falling below the quality standards for typical plastic waste.
Student Involvement
Engaging students in community-wide events and programs for recycling strengthens the BC family. There are two reasons why students are not involved with recycling anymore. Typically, it consumes a lot of time, and they are not informed about the types of recyclables.
According to the recycling coach, many of the problems with student involvement are the lack of information and the inconvenience of recycling. They stated that when students can’t find recycling bins, then they don’t recycle or even try.
Dr. Stephen Baron, Professor of Biology, mentioned that he wished that more students would get involved with recycling on campus.
Budget
Recent concerns about Bridgewater College’s budget issues have surfaced, regarding limitations in budgets in departments around campus. On college campuses, there may be imposed restrictions on funding, but programs may also be cut because of over-needed programs.
“The budget cuts impacted Bridgewater colleges sustainability effort,” Dr. Baron said.
According to Matt Dollard from Arrow, recent budget cuts to the Southeast Missouri State University campus had to scale back on their recycling program from employees to a one-student volunteer after budget cuts to their 2018 school year.
For More on This Topic
College campus recycling programs play a crucial role in the recyclable market by fostering environmental responsibility among students and contributing significantly to the supply of recyclable materials.
