Recycle Mania

There's this event going on at U of O called Recyclemania. It's actually going on at a lot of schools because it's a competition between them. As you might guess, the idea is to get students recycling more.

Sounds like a good idea. But there's a problem: the winner is the school that collects the greatest amount of recyclables per student.

There's no incentive for actual waste reduction! If a student wants to get a soda, for example, they might have the choice between a) using a waxy, garbage-destined paper cup to get a fountain soda, b) buying a soda in a recyclable aluminum can, or c) filling up their own bottle with a fountain soda. From a waste reduction perspective, (c) is clearly the best choice. But from a "winning the recycling competition" perspective, that student would better consume the aluminum so they can recycle it. A student that generates five units of trash and five units of recycling in a week is doing more to help the competition than a student who generates two units of trash and three units of recycling.

From my eco-conscious, green Portlander perspective this seems reprehensible. But, I understand that people at UO come from all over the place and there may well be a significant contingent who need their awareness of recycling raised. Still, I can think of an easy way to improve the system: grade it by which school has the highest proportion of recyclables relative to the total amount of waste generated.

I am sending an email to the director with my suggestion.

Of course, this is just a drop in the bucket. Even if they listen to me and fix Recyclemania, the UO generates an appalling amount of waste. Even with the reusable baskets, tons of paper plates are used. You get asked "for here or to go?" and if you answer "to go" you get a paper plate or boat. Sometimes they don't even ask. I always say "for here" regardless of where I plan to eat my food, but I see lots of people actually eating on site and still so many of them have paper dishes. Tons of plastic silverware gets thrown away, and the compost project is pitifully small - there isn't even compost in the dining hall where it's most needed. And then there's the prepackaged stuff at the Grab 'n' Go. You thoughtlessly buy a salad, eat it, and then look down thinking "holy crap, I used that much plastic for one meal?"

I was talking to Dancing Physicist about it and he is particularly disgusted by the silverware issue. He suggested they just stop providing silverware - make the students keep their own. Sell it somewhere on campus, or issue a set with the water bottle and laundry card. Thefts from the dining hall would probably increase, but there's a limit to how much that will help you - even if you steal from Carson, you still have to keep track of it to use it anywhere else, just like you would if you had your own.

I've been reusing plastic forks, but when I go home for break I'm going to bring back a set of silverware. Viva la revolucion! I'm also going to make a bowl for cereal, because there isn't even a reusable option for that. I should collect some statistics and make posters to convince other people to do stuff like this... especially the silverware.