EcoReps held its first Trash Sort on America Recycles Day Nov. 15 in an effort to raise awareness about recycling and the University's new recycling system. About 20 volunteers sorted through 40 bags - 20 of trash and 20 of recycling - from four locations on campus: east campus, Keeney Quadrangle, Pembroke campus and Wriston Quadrangle. The group found 34.4 percent of trash could actually be recycled and 5.9 percent of items placed in the recycling were actually trash.
Many students are unaware that certain items that were not recyclable last year now are, said Alison Kirsch '15, a member of EcoReps who participated in the trash sort. Salad bowls, yogurt cups and plastic drinking cups, which can all be recycled, often end up in the trash.
Students mistakenly put plastic bags, chip bags and food-contaminated items in recycling bins, said James Giarraputo '15, EcoReps coordinator. If more than 5 percent of a batch of recycling is contaminated, the recycling facility will throw it out, he said.
"The more contamination there is in any kind of batch of recycling, the less value it has," said Kai Morrell '11, outreach coordinator for Facilities Management and manager of the interns who run EcoReps.
The results showed more people throw recyclable items in the trash than vice versa, Kirsch said. This could be because of laziness or because students are not sure if an item can be recycled, she said. The results could indicate that people are simply "catching up to the new system" of recycling, she added.
The group aims to eventually reduce recycling loss and contamination, Kirsch said.
EcoReps will use the numbers gathered through the trash sort to assess students' recycling habits and track improvements through time, Giarraputo said.
The group weighed the trash using a home scale, but analyzed an "extremely small sample size," Kirsh said. In the future, members will most likely look at a larger sample size and use the Shapre Refectory's weighing station, Giarrapputo said.
EcoReps began planning the event three weeks in advance, Giarraputo said. The Department of Facilities Management gave the group four large tarps and 15 Tyvek suits and brought all trash and recycling to the quad to be sorted.
The group held the event on Wriston Quad because it is such a high-traffic location, Kirsch said. She added that this event drew more public attention than other EcoReps awareness events in which volunteers approach the public - passersby who saw group members sorting the trash approached them to ask about it.
Though most chose to simply observe, the group "did in fact get two brave volunteers from the general public" who helped sort the trash, Kirsch said.
"We were shouting 'Happy America Recycles Day!' over and over again," Giarraputo said, adding the event was "easy and effective" and will be held again next year.
