Trash Becomes Treasure: EAC Divines Solutions in Harvard Waste

A team of undergraduates dug through your trash this month, searching for solutions to a growing environmental concern.

Harvard's trash has shown "an encouraging trend towards significant waste reduction" over the past year, though much of what is still discarded could be recycled, the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) reported in its second annual waste audit.

The Nov. 11 audit analyzed the contents of 32 trash bags selected at random from undergraduate residential buildings.

The intent of the audit was to provide an "accurate way to see what people are throwing away," said Kunal Merchant '01, co-chair of the EAC recycling committee.

In addition to already-existing data on what Harvard is recycling, the audit seeks to find "what kinds of things people are systematically throwing away that they should not be," Merchant said.

In line with national trends, the audit reported that the number of recyclables discarded with trash is decreasing. Compared to last October, recyclables collected from Houses and dorms has dropped by 10 percent. Recyclable paper, cardboard, cans and bottles are also composing a lower percentage of waste.

Trash is getting bulkier, according to the audit. Fluffy materials like wrappers and boxes from late-night snacking and packing material like styrofoam contributed to this trend.

Construction contractor building debris filled two of the 32 bags audited. Harvard should not be paying for the removal of the contractors' waste or the public's garbage, the EAC noted.

The audit recommended four foci for improvement:

* Lock dumpsters to inhibit unauthorized dumpers.

* Continue to educate residents and staff about recycling and how and why to separate garbage. "Better signage and more convenient receptacles may help," the audit suggested.

The committee hopes to "infiltrate upperclass dorms, libraries, and the basement of the Science Center with blue [recycling] bins."

While first-year dorms are provided with blue bins, not all upperclass dorms

have the bins, a situation that makes recycling significantly more inconvenient.

* Encourage "lug-a-mug" programs, in order to reduce the number of paper cups.

* Encourage dining halls to remain open later to cut down on late-night snacking waste like potato chip wrappers and pizza boxes.

The recycling committee made several other observations on ways to reduce waste and increase recycling:

"All paper is recyclable," the committee emphasized.

While in the past papers had to be sorted into glossy and non-glossy, and many types weren't recyclable at all, now every clean scrap of paper and cardboard can and should be recycled.

There were lots of Crimsons in the bags audited, EAC noted, all of which should have been recycled--after being carefully read.

People should not throw non-recyclable materials, particularly liquids and foods, into recycling bins. Such contaminants can ruin an entire bin of otherwise recyclable paper.

As America recycles more and more, the EAC would like to see recycling bins replacing trash cans. For the moment, while recycling bins are becoming more ubiquitous, they are not yet displacing trash cans.

"People want to recycle, but right now it's just too inconvenient," Merchant said. "People won't go out of their way to recycle. We [on the EAC] are trying to make it as easy for them as possible."