Waste
Introduction
Marlboro College recognizes the importance of efficient and responsible use of resources. We are committed to reducing and eliminating waste by carefully considering our purchases, reusing, recycling, composting, and otherwise transforming the resources we use. In this section we examine the current amount of waste generated and resources reused at Marlboro, as well as past and present initiatives to reduce waste.
Waste Content
Amount of Trash
While this is a number that we would like to include in the future, we did not obtain it in time to include it in our report. It can be obtained by asking Cliff Inman, our trash and recycling collector.
Waste-Diversion Rate
While this is a number that we wish to include in the future, we did not figure out how to determine it in time to include it in our report.
Hazardous Materials: Types and Processing
Marlboro College generates the following types of hazardous waste, which are dealt with in the following ways:
Bio-hazardous waste
(from the Science department and Total Health Center) goes to National Waste Management (out of Sutton, MA) where it is incinerated.
Chemical and Radioactive waste
(from the Science Labs) goes to Clean Harbors, in the case of the former, and Chase Environmental Group, in the case of the latter.
Hazardous Materials (HAZ-MAT)
(from around campus: maintenance things such as fluorescent light bulbs, ballasts, batteries, motor oil, electronics, ink/toner/printer stuff, smoke alarms, photo chemicals and art stuff) goes to one of the following companies, where it is recycled or otherwise disposed of:
- Catamount Environmental, Inc.
- Decontamination Decommissioning and Environmental Services, LLC (DDES)
- Windham Solid Waste (which takes the majority of our HAZ-MAT)
Waste Diverted from Landfill
Compost
On average, two 5-gallon buckets per day, sometimes three, and sometimes but rarely four.
90.1% of respondents to our survey said that they make an effort to compost in the dining hall.
Recycling Amount of Paper, Glass, Plastic, Aluminum, etc.
While we would like to include this number, we did not obtain it in time to include it in our report. It may be obtained by talking to Cliff Inman, our recycling collector.
91.2% of respondents to our survey said that they make an effort to recycle while on campus.
Percentage of Paper Recycled
This is a number that we would like to include in future reports but that we were not able to determine in time to include in our report.
Recycling used oil
All of our used cooking oil is collected by White Mountain Biodiesel in North Haverhill, New Hampshire, and they make it into bio-fuel. We typically give them anything from 14-20 gallons every month to month and a half.
Waste-reducing Initiatives
What do we do?
- Every student is given a re-usable travel mug during orientation
- We provide reusable mugs in the dining hall
- Numerous signs adorn campus next to light switches urging people to turn off the lights
- Raids for cups: students have conducted raids to retrieve the cups from the dining hall that are often taken and not returned.
- Trash examination: Last year some folks went through the dumpsters and spread out their contents on the lawn to discover what was thrown away. They found a substantial amount of reusable plates and cups from the dining hall.
- Bins for cups: One year we tried setting up a system of bins around campus where students could put their plates and cups to be periodically collected, in hopes of preventing so many from disappearing until the end of the year. This was only so successful, because the bins often became the receptacles for trash instead.
- We compost all of the kitchen's food scraps, both front of the house and back of the house.
- We would like to set up a composting system in all the cabins and cottages.
- There is a work study position devoted to composting, and another to recycling (although the latter is currently un-filled).
- The dining hall is tray-less
