Recycling Comes to COM - Or Has it Always Been Here?
COM staff have heard your cries - for years, paper was the only thing being recycled on COM campuses, but soon, plastic and metal recycling will come onto the scene.
According to Klaus Christiansen, Interim Director of Facilities Planning, Maintenance, and Operations at COM, recycling bins with clear signage are coming soon to both campuses.
“Our goal is to unify that system throughout campus and make sure that no matter what building you're in, the signage is clear,” said Christiansen. “There's going to be clear signage that indicates exactly what items go into each container.”
“The reason is that we know we can do better,” Christiansen continued. “After looking around campus, we realized that there isn’t consistent recycling signage or bins. We came to the conclusion that we need to be consistent throughout campus. In designing the new program, we also decided to align our recycling efforts with our waste hauler to streamline the process for everyone.”
Students may see the new bins as early as the end of the semester, but a full roll out will most likely go into the summer semester.
“Once we push it all the way across campus, it's going to unify it and just make it easier for everybody,” Christiansen stated.
There has been some debate as to whether or not COM has actually been recycling bottles and cans.
This issue was partially brought to light on the morning of March 13, when an unknown party put up signs reading “COM DOESN’T RECYCLE” on garbage cans and recycling bins across campus. To date, no parties responsible for this have been identified, and the signs were removed a few days later. But, biology professor Joe Mueller said he has wanted the campus to do better when it comes to recycling.
“There is no recycling on campus except for paper,” said Mueller, also faculty advisor for the Environmental Action Club on campus. “There now is not recycling in the buildings, and there’s not recycling out[side] of the buildings.”
The alleged problem has to do with the recycling bins. Mueller explained that the containers around campus, including the silver ones with advertisements pasted onto the side, don’t fit the bins that the California Conservation Corps provides and picks up for free.
“It is false. COM does recycle,” rebutes Christiansen. “That does not mean every recyclable item on campus ends up being recycled. I do believe we can do a better job, and that is what we are working towards.”
Regarding recycling, Christiansen hopes to see a 50% decrease in recyclables going into the landfill bins.
Students may notice some changes, such as bins changing colors and fewer, smaller trash cans on campus.
“We're going to be taking a lot of the small bins out and centralizing the waste stream, and each of the floors will have two or three locations where everybody can bring their trash,” said Christiansen.
The college has also taken other strides to be green and eco-friendly, such as building solar panels above the parking lots.
There is currently a sustainability ad campaign based at COM in the works.
College of Marin was recently nominated for the Joe Garabino Green Businesses Award, according to the college website. This award is given out by the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce to businesses that have made great strides in the pursuit of sustainability.
