Wiping Out Waste Georgia Southern’s
Fight for Sustainability Between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, Georgia Southern University produced 4112 metric tons of waste, according to a Freedom of Information Act filed to Georgia Southern’s Records Office. That is equivalent to the weight of about 206 tractor trailers. The Center for Sustainability at Georgia Southern is complete with a group of Green Ambassadors who work together to improve the campus and help the earth by reducing waste, saving water and reducing the overall carbon footprint of the school. Among these improvements is the addition of 41 recycling bins throughout campus. These bins are made from 97 percent recycled material across campus. Each bin is made in a factory powered completely by renewable energy sources, said Environmental and Sustainability Manager for Georgia Southern University, Tiffoni BuckleMcCartney in an email. Lissa Leege, Ph.D, is a professor of biology and the first and only director of the Center for Sustainability since its creation eleven years ago. Throughout this time, there has been an increase in recycling bins on campus. “Anything that goes in a trashcan goes all the way to Macon to a landfill
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one way in a truck to a landfill where it will stay forever,” said Leege. “It will never break down, it will never be turned into something else. We are wasting resources by sending something that is valuable in a truck throwing it into a landfill where it can never be used again then that truck has to come back so we’re wasting fossil fuels, we are wasting space, we are wasting resources the actual resource of the recyclable items.” In the same year, about 738 metric tons of materials were recycled from GS, which is about the weight of 37 tractor trailers. This totals to about 17 percent of waste produced by GS being recycled, according to the GS Records Office. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only about 30 percent of all waste produced in the world is recycled. Green Ambassadors is a university organization that aims to promote sustainability. President of the Green Ambassadors, Victor McRae, believes that the school can improve by reducing the amount of waste while also increasing the amount of recycled materials. “Students should be leading this,” McRae said. “Instead of waiting for the school to do something, we need to be meeting them halfway.” McRae enjoyed discussing the issue of recycling because it can
be looked at from so many different angles. He believes that a big portion of the problem lies in food waste. “We need to start by getting rid of the big plates in the dining halls,” McRae said. “People won’t like it at first, but it is a known fact that smaller plates reduce portion size. Plus, from a business approach, it would reduce labor and save money if less food was wasted. You have to talk about saving money to get big companies on board.” While the Green Ambassadors have not implemented these specific ideas, they have been in contact with the Dining Commons about the issues of food waste and determining what could help reduce the amount of food being thrown out. The issue of food waste is not unique to the university setting. Food waste is the biggest issue for America as a whole, making up 22 percent of all landfill material, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As far as getting more students engaged in recycling and waste management, McRae thinks that the answer lies in making the actual act of recycling more fun. “I like the water bottle refill stations because it tells you how
