RecycleMania 2010 is in full swing at the University, but even as this nationwide competition unfolds, some students and employees are concerned about one residence hall’s use of reusable plastic baskets.
A Hamilton Food Services employee, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of employment repercussions, said many students in Hamilton Complex throw away the plastic baskets, which are supposed to be reused.
“If they realize how many baskets end up in the landfill, they would be shocked,” the employee said.
The reusable plastic baskets became available in the residence halls five years ago. Students can take these baskets with them to their rooms and drop them off at collection bins later. After that, they are washed and reused again.
“Last year was the best return rate we’ve ever had. We’ve made good progress,” Director of Food Services Tom Driscoll said. “The reusable baskets are a much better way to go
than compostables.”
Valerie Savercool, a freshman who works at Common Grounds cafe in the Hamilton Complex, said she has seen stacks of plastic baskets on tables in the residence halls.
“It’s kind of a problem when people don’t bring them back,” she said.
Hamilton Complex Director Jenny Koslovsky said University Housing has to spend money on replacing the plastic baskets every year if students don’t take the initiative to return them to the collection bins.
The complex government and resident assistants in Hamilton collect the plastic baskets twice a week and return them to the appropriate bins, Koslovsky said.
Diana Sobczynski, dining services general manager, said that if more students returned the trays, it would be better economically and environmentally than the compostable boats used at Big Mouth Burrito in Hamilton.
“If you can purchase something and reuse it over time, it costs less,” she said.
Much of the material used in the Hamilton dining areas can be composted. Campus Recycling, which runs the compost program, is tabling for RecycleMania in the EMU and the residence halls.
The University is competing against Oregon State and hundreds of other universities throughout the nation in Recycle Mania, which keeps track of all of the recyclable material produced by students, faculty and staff throughout the entire campus.
Oregon State is ahead of the University by only 1.3 pounds of recyclable material. The University currently sits in the middle of the pack, according to the RecycleMania Web site.
This is the second year the University is reporting campuswide data for RecycleMania, Housing Recycling Coordinator Robyn Hathcock said.
“The idea of the competition is to encourage and educate people about recycling,” she said.
Students can take what they’ve learned from participating in the competition and apply it to their lives year-round, she said. Each individual can take an active stance to reduce the amount of recyclable material in local landfills.
“It’s important for students to recycle what they can before spring break. Every scrap counts,” Hathcock said.
RecycleMania ends March 27.

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