Recently, students and campus organizations have noted Creighton’s campus recycling program for falling short of its fundamental purpose.

Creighton Facilities Management has brought to light concerns that the cost to the university to maintain the program outweighs the potential benefits it could provide.

This concern, underscored by recent demonstrations of pointed interest from the student body, has launched Creighton headfirst into a sustainability campaign that is particularly focused on the issue of recycling. Inter-Residence Hall Government is taking the lead in its efforts to make students aware of the issue and to educate them about what can be done.

College of Arts and Sciences junior and IRHG Executive Director of Advancement, Evan Dalton, explains the natural relevance of sustainability issues to any academic setting:

“Considering Creighton as an academic institution, we should be preparing students for the future and for realities to come,” said Dalton. “This involves experiencing sustainable practices on campus and learning to care about resource usage, waste and how we can minimize our negative impact globally.”

But what exactly are the shortcomings of Creighton’s recycling program?

Several years ago, Creighton initiated a single-stream recycling system. The system was put into effect with the hopes of making recycling less of a hassle for those on campus; thus encouraging greater participation in Creighton’s efforts toward sustainability.

Single stream recycling allows all recyclable materials to be placed in a common container that removes the need for separate bins for paper, aluminum, cardboard, etc. Rather, the materials get sorted upon their arrival at the recycling facility itself.

“This service is effective because it is easy for us to do,” said Dalton. “This means we can maximize participation. We don’t need to sort anything ourselves, but we do need to be careful to follow the recycling regulations.”

While Dalton indicates that single-stream recycling is an extremely efficient system in theory, it relies upon the education of everyone involved to know what can and cannot be recycled, as introducing non-recyclable materials can result in contamination of the entire system.

Contamination is precisely the problem that Creighton’s recycling program currently faces. Creighton Facilities lists strict rules regarding what can go into recycling bins based on what machines are able to sort out before the materials reach the compactors. Although the sorting done by these machines is not immediately evident on campus, their ability to operate smoothly is dependent upon the contents of every blue recycling bin at Creighton. In the end, everything in those bins ends up at a sorting machine.

While these machines provide some leeway for isolated cases, Dalton explains that over-contamination can lead to extra costs to the university.

“For each 10,000-pound load from each compactor, Creighton has a 1 to 2 percent cushion for contamination,” explained Dalton. “If a load is deemed to be too contaminated, Creighton is fined.”

According to Facilities Management, rather than spending what would add up to hours upon hours of time hand-sorting through the blue bins to extract the contaminating trash, facilities workers who encounter what appears to be a contaminated bin are instructed to place the bin’s entire contents into the regular trash. While this practice helps Creighton avoid fines from the recycling center, it also greatly reduces the university’s recycling efficiency.

According to the Creighton Sustainability Council website, excess food, Styrofoam, Kleenex, and other non-recyclable materials accidentally or carelessly placed in the blue bins pose the threat of contaminating what would otherwise be perfectly good recyclables. The problem then is the high degree of blue-bin contamination. Many on campus throw trash into the blue bins either because they do not know or do not care that these bins are reserved for recyclable materials only.

Those groups and individuals bringing this issue to light note that contamination is 100 percent avoidable and that campus-wide education on recycling is key to renewing the effectiveness of the program.

“These issues can be avoided if we become more conscious about our waste disposal,” said Dalton. “The guidelines for single-stream recycling are clearly spelled out for us. We just need to understand and follow them.”

With this in mind, Creighton IRHG — in collaboration with Facilities Management — is launching a sustainability campaign to raise awareness about the recycling issue as well as the university’s overall environmental footprint. IRHG plans to carry out its goal of fostering a more sustainable campus environment through various legislation and programming. Specifically, tabling events in the Skutt Student Center, recycling-focused resolutions and signage across campus will all promote greater eco-mindedness.

College of Arts and Sciences sophomore and IRHG Executive Director of Service, Faith and Justice, Heidi Klem, reports that tabling events will begin as soon as late November and will feature interactive and educational activities. These will include recycling simulation games, button giveaways and a pledge that students can take to commit themselves to making recycling a priority.

All the activities and efforts are aimed at bolstering the “Bluejays Go Green” initiative.

“In my opinion,” said Klem, “People have become lazy or uneducated… or both on all matters of sustainability. While I value any time spent encouraging even just one more person to be more thoughtful of these matters, this won’t be enough to protect our earth in many years to come. My hope is that every single Creighton student takes a stand on sustainability.”

Klem also said that IRHG’s efforts would eventually expand to include other branches of sustainability such as water and electricity conservation.

Both Klem and Dalton pointed to Pope Francis as a source of motivation and inspiration for this cause. With the publication of his encyclical, “Laudato Si,” Francis placed environmental consciousness among the top concerns of his papacy. Moreover, his statements present environmentalism as a universally worthy cause that is of particular importance to a Catholic institution such as Creighton.

Klem cites the following words from “Laudato Si:” “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.”

IRHG’s campaign is a reminder that change is possible, but that it starts with the education and effort of the individual. To do your part, watch for tabling events in the Student Center, take note of signage around campus, follow guidelines on what can and cannot be recycled and help make Creighton a more sustainable campus.