Introduction

The issue I studied for my Service Learning Project was recycling, more specifically how recycling programs work in Rice County and at Carleton. Recycling is an important topic to learn about as the amount of waste produced in the county increases. Carleton, like any school, uses reams of paper every year. The student body throws away a great deal of plastic, glass and aluminum. This makes recycling of these items increasingly important so that we can conserve our rapidly diminishing resources and reduce the amount placed yearly in landfills. Recycling at Carleton is much simpler than for residents of Northfield area, but for a number of reasons students carelessly throw away recyclables. Taking a glance in any trash can will reveal many sheets of paper and drink containers mixed in with the trash. Often these trash cans are right next to recycle bins, yet people continually throw away items that can be easily recycled. Few people understand the mechanics of recycling and solid waste disposal, viewing the refuse removed by custodians and garbage men with an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude.

The issue of recycling encompasses many of the concepts that we have covered in class this term. The rapidly diminishing supply of resources is one area that recycling could affect, making use out of the materials already manufactured instead of using additional resources to manufacture new products. The filling of the nation’s landfills and the problem of garbage disposal are two more issues dealt with in class. Methane emitted from recyclable choked landfills is belched into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. These issues affect us all, but unfortunately too many people do not care enough to alter even this small part of their consumption habits. The focus of my project was how to get people to think more about where their garbage and recyclables go after they are thrown away. The central question I asked was how to make recycling something that everyone is concerned about, enough to change what they throw away and what they recycle, especially by emphasizing what can be recycled and better recycling methods.

Methods And Research

My first steps toward learning about this question involved research on the Internet. There were many resources about how to reduce waste and information on what items could be recycled. I used some of the web-sites on recycling provided by Phil and followed these to other links, many of which contained helpful hints on how to prepare recyclables. Through this research I also found information from and got in contact with Rice County Solid Waste Disposal in Dundas and the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (MOEA). The people at the Rice County landfill were very helpful and through them I arranged a tour of their recycling and landfill facilities and learned a great deal about what happens to solid waste when it leaves houses and dorms and where recyclables are taken to be turned into new products. Rice County Solid Waste Division works with the River Valley Nature Center and runs educational tours and campaigns for schoolchildren and anyone else interested. I had assumed that more of the recycling went on in the Dundas facility, but I was surprised to learn how recycling works. It is a very complicated commodities-based system that involves multinational trading of materials and depends heavily on market prices and demand. I entered with a simplistic notion that the paper, bottles and cans were taken and turned back into those same products, not knowing the complexities of the system with which I soon became acquainted. Recyclables are converted back into similar products, but also provide bedding for farmers, roadbed filler and are utilized in many other areas.

Results

The results of my research were summarized in a poster campaign conducted at Carleton and in the Northfield area intended to get people thinking more about recycling. According to Roger Wilkowske, the Recycling Contact at the Dundas facility, the main problem with getting more people involved in recycling is laziness and a feeling that since recycling does not benefit them directly, it is not worth their trouble. This perception couldn’t be farther from the truth, but most people don’t realize the effects of throwing away so much waste. The Dundas landfill has leachate ponds and wells to monitor any runoff from the landfill in order to protect the Cannon River, but the landfill administrators are forced to install pipes that release methane from the decomposing garbage into the atmosphere, which contributes to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. Most people I talked to in my research were unaware of what types of materials could be recycled at Carleton, where their garbage and recycling went and that throwing away certain types of glass, newspaper, cardboard and paper is illegal according to Rice County ordinances. Working with the Rice Co. Solid Waste Division was very helpful, but the only response I received from the MOEA was information about their web-site and pamphlets. I sent these groups copies of the posters that I made, but so far have not received a response.

Recommendations and Conclusion

This project has definitely made me more conscious of what I throw away and making sure that anything recyclable is placed in the proper bin. At this point I am unsure of whether my project had any impact on recycling habits at Carleton. It would be nice to say that if just one person changes their habits because of my campaign then I will have had an impact, but watching the compactors moving tons of garbage into the landfill during my visit impressed upon me that this is not a one person problem. Rice County was recycling at a 57% rate in 1998, meaning that 43% of recyclable materials are going into the landfill every year. What I tried to do with my campaign was to show people how ridiculous it was not to make a small extra effort to recycle. There is no all-encompassing solution to this problem, since the amount of waste produced in Minnesota continues to rise while landfill capacity shrinks. There are many products that can be recycled but are not for economic reasons. By encouraging people to buy recycled products the demand can be increased and many more products can be made useful again. Still, there will always be people who see no reason to change their habits unless given a forceful stimulus. Education and activism is probably the best method to increase recycling, but enforcement of the laws against disposing of recyclables would also be a good start. This is a daunting global problem, so I decided to focus on Carleton where I felt the biggest difference could be made.