Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 10/21/04 Section: News

Media Credit: Travis Hofman Students won´t be seeing these trash cans anymore [Click to enlarge]

On Friday October 8 the trash receptacles in the classrooms of Chase and Old Main were removed, replaced by separate garbage and recycling containers in central locations on each floor.

The large color-coded containers, green for recyclables (plastic, glass, and aluminum, but NOT Styrofoam) and tan for trash, are placed next to the stairwells in each building. The hope is that students and faculty will take everything they bring into classrooms back out with them, mirroring the National Park rule of "Pack In, Pack Out."

The change in garbage containers marks the beginning of a pilot recycling program implemented by the Lakeland College Eco-Friends Committee. Headed by Assistant Professor of Religion Karl Kuhn, the committee has been working to implement a recycling program on campus for the past two years.

"We decided fairly early on that we wanted to work on recycling," says Kuhn. "People on the committee strongly feel that this is related to our mission as a college because we are trying to mold one another into people who can make a positive contribution to the world."

The containers arrived October 4, a week later than planned due to shipping problems. Then, on Friday October 8, when enough of the committee could gather, the change took place. The old containers were gathered and removed, and the new containers were put in place.

The hope is that students will follow the new policy, and choose not to leave trash in the classrooms due to the lack of a nearby container.

"That's what we, as instructors, will have to be keeping an eye on," states Associate Professor of Biology Kathy Marr. "We called ourselves, roughly, the other day the 'garbage police.'"

Other colleges, such as Northland, Elmhurst, and Marquette, already have similar programs on their campuses. According to Marr, Lakeland is quite a bit behind.

"It's everybody's business," says Marr. "The ultimate goal is to have the whole campus do this."

If the pilot program goes well, the residence halls are next on the list to undergo the change, followed by the administrative buildings. No timeline has been set for future plans. Depending on how the new program is received, discussions of plans for proposing further changes could begin as early as next semester.

"You have to do this a little at a time," Marr adds.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools