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E D I T O R I A L L Y

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Thursday, November 17, 2011 Issue 64 I N D E P E N D E N T

Vol. 118 S T U D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

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University recycling program lacks funding Harmful wastes sold to irresponsible recycling companies hurt global environment Jamie Greig Staff Writer According to environmental experts and those responsible for recycling and disposal at UT, lack of funding and regulation means electronic waste is being disposed of without care and is even having an effect on pollution in developing nations. “Electronic items are not regulated by law, not in this state,” UT environmental coordinator Jay Price said. “There are some states that regulate it. But there are no federal laws that control the disposal of electronic waste.” Price and his assistant, Emmy Waldhart, work within UT’s facility services department on the un-budgeted recycling program. The bulk of electronic waste is sold to the general public through UT’s surplus service facility. “For the most part these items are bought by re-sellers,” said head of surplus Bill Keanaaina. “Now, do these re-sellers handle the items responsibly we don’t know, but unless there are laws that control it we don’t restrict it.” Despite the university pushing its Make Orange Green environmental campaign, it is up to the on-campus environmental safety and health department to provide funds so that Price’s recycling methods can be paid for. “We could definitely use some additional support institutionally,” Price said. “I mean, O.K., we need to recycle as it’s doing ‘x,’ ‘y’ and ‘z’ for the university. And we really haven’t seen that top-down support — here’s a budget, here’s staff, here’s the equipment you need to operate the program.” Neither the university’s recycling nor surplus programs have an operating budget to work with. “You start out at the beginning of the year in a hole and hope by the end of it that you are out of that hole,” Keanaaina said. In order to make up for the shortfall in funding, Price sells material to recycling companies but admits that from there the

items can end up anywhere. “There are actually not any contracts, university or state-wide, that provide for the recycling of batteries or electronic waste. There are recycling companies, responsible or otherwise. Some of them have third-party auditors who follow the material trail; the others, well, who knows what happens,” he said. “I can’t control where products end up. I sell recyclable material to the market and from there it could go anywhere.” Price only recycles the electronic items that Keanaaina cannot sell through the surplus public auctions that take place every six weeks from a warehouse on the outskirts of campus. The items sold in these auctions gain on average 10 percent of their original value, encouraging their purchase by lowend scrap traders. “The highest bidder is awarded the surplus,” Waldhart said. “So they have no control over who is the highest bidder or what the highest bidder does with the material.” But, Keanaaina stressed that it is lack of regulations, both state and federally, that are to blame for any items causing environmental harm both at home and abroad. “When you go out and buy a product, the dealer has no concern over what happens once you have purchased it, whether the batteries go bad or whatever,” he said. “Unless there are legal requirements, licenses or such, then we cannot not sell it to the public.” This lack of regulation not only allows for improper disposal practices but also stops the seller from tracking where the material ends up. “Where a lot of this stuff ends up we don’t really know; that depends on export licenses and at that point it is up to the federal government to regulate. Now, a lot of these items end up in the third world, telephone equipment, etc., because to us this stuff is obsolete,” Keanaaina said. “Now when it gets there, is it handled responsibly? I think Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon some care and some don’t really want to Students walk past a huge ball of trash on the Pedestrian Mall on Wednesday, Oct. know.” 12. Although UT is focusing on becoming a greener university, there is still a great deal of work remaining to have a truly environmentally friendly campus. See ENVIRONMENT on Page 3

Golden leads Vols to victory over Warhawks Sam Scott Staff Writer The Tennessee Volunteers (2-0) beat the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (0-3) 85-62 Wednesday night in Thompson-Boling Arena. With 10 minutes remaining in the game, sophomore point guard Trae Golden was fouled behind the 3-point line and made all three free throws. Tennessee took a 49-48 lead in the game, which, for the majority, had been back and forth. This play proved to be the momentum Tennessee needed to break the stalemate. The Vols then went on a 27-9 run, expanded the lead to 19 points and never looked back. “Coach Webster, one of our assistant coaches, came to me and told me I need to lead better,” Golden, who led UT with 17 points and added 11 assists, said. “So when he came to me and said that, I was just trying my hardest to make sure everybody got shots and talk more.” Despite being a sophomore, Golden provided leadership at a critical point in the game. “I think that the team feeds off of me, and that’s something I have to be conscious of and be ready to take that challenge and make sure in every game to bring that intensity and energy,” Golden said. Out of the gate, the Vols took a 9-0 lead, with Golden leading offensively and the team playing tough on the defensive end of the court. “I thought Trae, once again, had a good night, thought he did a good job keeping his composure and stepping up to the challenge on the defensive side of the ball,” Vols coach Cuonzo Martin said. ULM played the Vols tight in the first half — neither team was able to open up a substantial lead. “I have to give a lot of credit to Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon Louisiana-Monroe, the way they cut on Jeronne Maymon rises up over ULM defenders during a game in Thompson-Boling offense, they way they executed their Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 16. Maymon helped the Vols on a 29-9 second-half run to offense,” Martin said. “I didn’t think we beat the Warhawks 85-62.

did a very good job in the first half defending. But I think a lot of credit goes to those guys.” ULM guard Fred Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Warhawks a 1-point lead, but Tennessee replied with a Skylar McBee three. McBee finished with a career-high 15 points and went 5-for-9 from 3-point range. “When the open shot comes, you take it,” McBee said. “(McBee) practiced hard,” Martin said. “He practices at a high level every day.” ULM would take the lead again on an R.J. McCray basket, but Tennessee answered with a three from senior Cameron Tatum. McBee stole the ball on the next possession and Golden was able to score in transition to give Tennessee the 29-25 lead. The teams went to the locker room tied 33-33. ULM’s preseason All-Sun Belt guard Fred Brown led the Warhawks in the first half with 10 points but also committed four fouls in the first 20 minutes, which kept him on the bench for a large portion of the second half. Throughout the game there were eight lead changes. Tennessee struggled to make shots from the field. This, along with turnovers, prevented the Vols from taking control of the game until Golden’s key 3-point play at the foul line. “Coach told us to be patient, let the offense develop and let everything come to us,” forward Jeronne Maymon said. “I think that really helped us.” The Vols took charge of the game from there. Good defense and solid shooting helped Tennessee push the lead to 69-55. Tatum made two straight 3-pointers on the next two possessions, and the Vols led 75-57. ULM never recovered. Next, the Vols head to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. Their first game will be Monday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. EST against the sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils.


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