Recycling on Truman’s campus is nothing new, but now Residence Life, Student Government and the Physical Plant are helping to make recycling at Truman accessible to everyone. These three groups are working together as well as with other community organizations to improve the effectiveness of recycling at Truman.
Physical Plant Director Karl Schneider says there are a few groups that work with Truman to help keep the flow of recycling moving. Schneider says the Physical Plant collects materials from all blue, purple and green recycling canisters placed throughout campus. From there, he says much of that recycling is taken care of by three groups. Schneider says Community Opportunities recycles the paper and cardboard, Truman students pick up the aluminum recycling, and High Hope Recycling in Milan, Missouri, takes the plastic.
Schneider says the Physical Plant does not focus on publicity or advertising for recycling. He says he encourages those interested in recycling to visit Truman’s sustainability website.
“The sustainability website has information on recycling, what types of materials the University recycles and all that,” Schneider says.
William Nelson, Residence Life coordinator and Physical Plant liaison, says he wants to make campus more knowledgeable about recycling. Nelson says so far, Residence Life has made new signage for all of the recycling centers in the residence halls so Truman students are aware of what materials go in the receptacles.
Nelson says he also has helped coordinate glass recycling on campus by working with Student Government. He says the University previously took care of glass recycling, but now student organizations such as Alpha Phi Omega recycle the glass in the residence halls.
Nelson says Residence Life is working on new educational opportunities to make Residence Life and students more familiar with recycling within the residence halls.
Patty Bonzani, a Missouri Hall housekeeper, says she is familiar with recycling in the residence halls. Bonzani says Community Opportunities still collects the paper recycling, but Truman’s Environmental Campus Organization collects the paper and aluminum that is behind the dumpsters.
Bonzani says she is passionate about recycling and makes it her duty to make sure people are doing the right thing.
“I think we need to do something — I don’t think people understand that a lot of this goes back into the ground,” Bonzani said. “There are a lot of people, and we’re running out of space.”
For more information, pick up a copy of this week’s Index or read online on Issuu.