If you have classes in New England Building or Rockefeller Hall, you may have noticed that, upon your return from spring break, the trash and recycling units look a little different. No longer are there mono-colored, minimalistic signs that say “landfill” and “recycling”; instead, large posters hang above these bins. They are still color-coded in a traditional way, but they are specific, outlining exactly what can and cannot get recycled and what should be placed in the trash.
This change occurred because, although nearly all of the campus’s gray trash and recycling bins were already labeled respectively, there was a large rate of contamination occurring in the recycling bins. The Office of Sustainability reported that people were disposing many of their trash items into the recycling bins. This included take-out boxes from the Retreat, plastic-looking containers from Express and used tissues and paper towels. All of these items, on first glance, may seem recyclable, but they are not. Soiled containers and tissues cannot get recycled, and neither can compost-labeled items. This posed a significant problem because lots of contamination in the recycling bins causes greater problems than if there were a few recyclables in the trash bins.
In order to solve this problem, the first step was to make the signage clearer. No more minimalistic signs. The new signs show examples of commonly used items specific to Vassar College’s campus. You may notice familiar Retreat coffee cups and Sushi Wednesday trays, and, in the paper section of the sign, you can even see a Miscellany News paper.
The new signs are not everywhere on campus—at least not yet. But out of the select buildings that they are in, have they made a difference? I have noticed that the answer is a resounding yes. Personally, as I pass by the Rose Parlor in Main Building, I see the two trash bins brimming with waste. Though this may seem antithetical, it is significantly better than non-recyclable waste contaminating the recycling bins. Students who frequent the classrooms think positively of the change. Mary Martelo ’28 stated, “[The signs] make it easier to know what to place in the bins so there is less confusion.”
Standardized signage works well when everyone knows exactly what waste goes in what bin, but in cases where there are nuances, such as in our school, where only certain plastic types can be recycled and where some items may seem recyclable but are not, it becomes necessary to make signs specific to the environment.
The new signage is also a point of curiosity. When something new appears, we are more likely to pay attention to it. Another student, Olivia Trafford ’28, noted, “I think before throwing my stuff away.” The new signs undoubtedly draw attention and make students think twice before possibly tossing their waste into the incorrect bins. Whatever the reason may be for students disposing of their waste in a more deliberate way, what matters is that the signs are doing their job and the recycling seems to be less contaminated.
One of the Office of Sustainability’s interns, Caroline Mozo ’29, who helped put up the signs, explained,“[The Office of Sustainability] is attempting to change the student mindset regarding waste by improving signage and helping spread awareness about what belongs in each bin.” This is especially helpful because there often seem to be attempts at proper recycling. Many seemingly recyclable items can be found in the recycling bins, like the sandwich containers from Express or yogurt cups. And we cannot blame the students; when we look at a clear Retreat coffee cup, we are immediately brought back to elementary school, where we learned that things that look like this are supposed to go into the recycling bins. But in order to properly dispose of our waste, we need to make sure that our items are actually recyclable. So, no, those sandwich containers from Express and unfinished yogurt cups cannot be recycled.
As this is still an ongoing project, time will be necessary to observe the long-term effects of the new signage. However, interns at the Office of Sustainability are optimistic. “We hope that this initiative will give us fruitful results and that in the end, more of Vassar’s waste can get recycled,” Mozo said. In combining a positive mindset and the desire to become a more sustainable campus, they hope that Vassar students will look at these signs and become more mindful of what they are throwing out and where.
This does not only apply to recycling; in our everyday lives, we should strive to be more environmentally conscious and think about the impact our actions have on the well-being of our community and world as a whole. This becomes especially true while looking at the face of climate change; poor recycling habits lead to increases in methane emissions, warming our planet. And although the actions of one person may not make a direct difference, together our ideas can help shape the future for the better.