You can learn a lot by going through someone’s trash. At least that’s what organizers trying to make Fort Lewis College a “zero waste” campus hope to prove.
The Fort Lewis College’s Environmental Center recently took two days worth of trash – from dumpsters at resident halls and administrative buildings – and dumped it on the campus’s quad.
The goal? Discover what percent of the mess could have been recycled or composted, all the while looking for trends that the center can tackle in an effort to reduce waste campus-wide.
For instance, Marty Pool, assistant coordinator, said disposable coffee cups accounted for about 5 percent of the weight of trash taken from administrative buildings.
With this knowledge, Pool said the Environmental Center will think up ways to reduce the need for disposable coffee cups, possibly by encouraging reusable mugs.
Another example, Pool said, is that 10 percent of the entire waste stream taken from the administrative buildings’ trash receptacles were paper towels. One obvious solution, he said, is to look at the cost of switching to air-dry hand dryers.
In all, volunteers and organizers sorted through about 1,000 pounds of trash.
About one-quarter of the trash taken from residence halls and administrative buildings could have been recycled, and about 15 percent could have been composted, Pool said.
“Especially with recycling and composting, these problems are challenging because there’s a mix of issues with infrastructure and operations, as well as educating each individual on their decisions,” Pool said.
While the cafeteria at Fort Lewis College has an industrial-scale compost machine, certain state regulations don’t allow students to dispose of food waste in it.
And, there’s no system in place for students to compost at residence halls.
Rachel Landis, executive director of the Environmental Center, said it’s issues like these the center has taken the lead on solving.
Next year, for example, she wants to partner with Durango-based Table to Farm Compost, which offers roadside pickup, to provide composting options for students.
“Every year we take a look at what’s in our waste stream … which helps our program and provides a striking visual wake-up call about the amount of trash we produce,” she said.
Fort Lewis College’s zero-waste initiative is one of a four-part program, which includes local food security, real food challenge and energy impact, Pool said.
The ultimate goal is to have Fort Lewis College carbon neutral by 2050, a more ambitious goal than the Environmental Center’s previous timeframe of 2080, Landis said.
“I think it’s not really optional at this point,” Landis said. “If you look at climate modeling … we’ve got to make it achievable.”
Pool added that this year, Fort Lewis College will conduct a full campus waste and recycling assessment, which will guide the zero-waste initiative going forward.
Last year, the school dumped about 1 million pounds of trash, and emissions due to solid waste have stayed flat the past couple years, he said.
The school also will embark on a survey that will ask students why they don’t recycle or compost.
“People want to do the good thing but have no idea how things should be done on campus,” Pool said.
“The work is far from over.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
