You may recall that in October we announced a new drop-off site for compost at the Tufts Institute of the Environment at the rear of Miller Hall. The bin is open to members of the Tufts community during business hours. The key for the locked bin is in the office foyer. Please remember to return the key and lock the bin.
Thanks to the initiative of the Tisch Library green committee, there is now a bin at the library loading dock in the rear of the building. This bin is accessible anytime because the key to the bin is in the mailbox above the bin.
Please remember to compost non-animal products only.
Tufts Recycles! just learned of a fascinating woman who picks up litter while walking her dog and then blogs about it. We highly recommend reading of her adventures in dog walking and litter tackling! Read the LITTERary Journal by clicking here.
That first R that got away… That’s right, Tufts, while recycling is extremely important, there’s another R that often gets forgotten and hasn’t yet received the widespread public attention it deserves: Reuse! It’s this overlooked R that the Zero Waste movement champions in its support of a natural cycle of reusing and recycling in order to reduce our consumption to the point of ultimately becoming a wasteLESS world. The principles, laid out by Zero Waste Inc., are as follows:
1. The concept of eliminating waste is a foundational principle of our work. 2. We work to help people incorporate actions that eliminate waste in their daily lives. 3. We develop opportunities to overcome obstacles to achieve zero waste. 4. We work to create a new society in which resources are valued, conserved, and preserved, resulting in a natural cycle of reuse. 5. We hold everyone – individuals, corporations, institutions, and organizations – responsible for making decisions that diminish waste. 6. We are a forward-thinking organization, continually seeking new ideas and open to change in order to achieve our mission.
Ideas about how exactly to go about Zero Waste are not lacking: from “ecoparks,” industrial locations that use waste as a critical component to production, or a drop-off location for waste disassembly, processing, and redistribution available to both business and residents, to implementing financial incentives for keeping waste out of landfills or a combination of many tactics. But while there are different schools of thought concerning the ultimate direction of Zero Waste, one thing is definitely agreed upon: we need to change our way of life and we need to change it NOW. (http://www.zwinc.org/principals.html)
Posted by
Lucy
at 9:56 AM
November 16, 2009
Where Does Your Trash and Recycling Go Exactly? The Dirty Search for Answers.That’s a question many of us cannot answer. Leaves you a little unsettled, doesn’t it? For Karin Landsberg, a self-deemed “eco-geek” and transportation planner for Washington State, it had been too long wondering. Working together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , she began a project this past August to investigate the route of her trash and recycling beginning in her home and ending…well that’s precisely what she hoped to discover.
Using battery powered tags based on cell phone technology to tag 12 pieces of trash and recycling, Landsberg and MIT will wait for the next few months as researchers analyze the data generated by the cellular signals. And although there are limitations in tracking, such as the chance of crushing in-transit, for the most part the tags are projected to do their duty. A similar project, on a grander scale, was undertaken by the Architectural League of New York in September, using 3,000 common pieces of garbage to be tracked over the next 3 months.
So why the need for this elaborate tracking system; doesn’t anyone know where our trash goes? Lynn Brown, a spokeswoman for Waste Management Inc., says that “from a logistics standpoint, it’s a very complicated situation. When you look at how waste is handled in different cities, it’s like snowflakes. It’s all different.” Reassuring…
The ultimate goal of Landsberg, M.I.T., and all dedicated followers of the story? To expose any inefficiencies in the waste management organization in order to create a more efficient system. Visuals and data of the tracked trash is on exhibit in the Architectural League of NY, from September 17 to November 17. We’ll keep you posted all along the trash-ridden way, or check out the exhibit’s website at www.sentientcity.net/exhibit/?p=31
Posted by
Lucy
at 5:06 PM
October 26, 2009
New drop-off site for compost open to members of the Tufts community The Facilities grounds department and Tufts Recycles! have designated a bin for food waste that may be used by anyone in the Tufts community. This bin is possible thanks to Grounds Manager John Vik who offered to arrange service of the bin on a regular basis. The material will be mixed in with grass clippings and brought to a composting facility.
Compost bin for Organic Waste Only (no animal products)
Location: rear of Miller Hall to the left of the Tufts Institute of the Environment.
Hours: during business hours. The bin must be kept locked to keep out contamination. The key to the bin is available Monday-Friday (except university holidays) in the entrance way to the Tufts Institute of the Environment. Please lock the bin as you found it and return key to the hook.
About the conference: The Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA), a newly chartered organization intending to form a new national voice for recycling will be holding its first public meeting and networking reception on Sunday afternoon, October 18. Recycling professionals from all over the United States and Canada will be coming to that meeting and many will stay over for our conference.
The Monday plenary makes the case that wasting and consumption fuel global climate change. Plenary speakers include Peter Anderson, RecycleWorlds Consulting; Joshuah Stolaroff, Recent Fellow at US EPA; Lisa Skumatz, SERA Inc, and Brenda Platt, author of Stop Trashing the Climate.
And in the "Beyond Recycling" category, the Reuse Alliance will be hosting a reuse summit to discuss next steps for national organizing of reuse and remanufacturing sector, as well as organizing several informative panel discussions on Tuesday.
ZERI (Zero Emissions Research Institute ZERI.org) is conducting a special 1/2 day workshop: Nature's Best Sustainability Technologies and Natural Systems on Wednesday October, 21.
There is a Zero Waste track for college & university recycling and sustainability staff Tuesday afternoon that would be applicable to any large corporate or institutional setting. This is followed by tours of Tufts and Harvard University Recycling programs on Wednesday.
Zero Waste Businesses & Pollution Prevention will also be featured on Tuesday. We will show how businesses have saved money, increased their efficiency, reduced their liability, and reduced their global footprint by diverting over 90% of their waste from landfills and incinerators, getting to Zero Waste, or darn close. Speakers include: Steve Simon of Atlanta's Fifth Group Restaurant (dumpster free restaurant) and Stephen Van Middlesworth from Vandenberg Air Force Base and Elizabeth Harriman of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI).
ZERI is conducting a special 1/2 day workshop highlighting nature's best sustainability technologies and natural systems. (see zeri.org)
GRRN has a national mission and recruited speakers from across the country to address attendees; their names are posted on the GRRN website.
Click Here for Conference Agenda & Speakers
NRC members, NERC members, MassRecycle, Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), please enter promo code "PARTNERS" for a $50 discount on full registration.
Thank you 2009 sponsors: Insinkerator, Altamonte Education Advisory Board, California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA), Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA), Global Recycling Council, Resource Recycling Magazine, Save that Stuff, Inc. Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Sure Close Foodscrap Collection Containers, Eco-Cycle, BioCycle Magazine, Reuse Alliance, Urban Ore & Earth Circle.
Local Produce on Campus This Thursday! There will be a Farmer's Market on campus this Thursday, October 1st from 11:00am-1:30pm outside the Mayer Campus Center, rain or shine! Local apples, pears and a large variety of vegetables will be offered for sale including eggplant, onions potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and winter squash.
Fresh apple cider by the glass and loaves of homemade pumpkin bread made with locally grown sugar pumpkin will be for sale. Hope you can attend.
Boxes Boxes Everywhere! The beginning of a new year- the smell of an empty dorm room, soon to be filled with junk. But not all that junk carted up by the parents stays in the room. What happens to the box from the new printer, the shoe rack, the Costco-sized snacks? Thanks to Tufts Recycles! 39.45 tons (that's 78,900 lb) were recycled during upperclassmen move-in and the first week of classes. Just during freshman matriculation week 38.50 tons were recycled. That's 78 tons in all!
Here's a little sample of where all this is coming from. On Wednesday, September 2nd the freshman moved in to their dorms. Also that day were a lunch and dinner on the President's lawn at which a total of 6 cubic yards of cardboard, 96 bags of compost, 350 lbs of pure food leftovers and 25 bags of glass, metal and plastic were collected. Here's the breakdown:
Lunch:
* 71 bags compost * 2 cubic yards cardboard * 10 bags of bottles and cans * only 3.5 bags of trash
Dinner:
* 15 bags bags of bottles and cans * 4 cubic yards cardboard * 350 lbs + 25 bags compostables * the amount of trash is unknown all together because the stations closed down but we estimate it to be little over the 4 bags that we collected before.
Everyone had fun, and we are very happy to have done our part in diverting so much waste from the landfills.
Posted by
Sarah
at 2:02 PM
September 14, 2009
Pick it up! Volunteers Needed to Clean-Up the Beach
In coordination with the UMASS Boston initiative COASTSWEEP and the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, Dawn Quirk the campus recycling coordinator is organizing a local clean-up this Saturday, September 19, 2009.
Volunteers are needed between the hours of 10am-2pm. People can sign up for the whole event or a two hour shift from either 10-12pm or 12pm-2pm.
The site is Carson Beach in Dorchester which is on the RedLine T stop JFK/UMASS.
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009 Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm Location: Dorchester Beach- the small part, not the Southie Side Street: William J Day Blvd, Boston, MA City/Town: Dorchester Center, MA
Volunteers Needed to help Matriculation go Zero Waste Tufts Recycles! and the Office of Sustainability are seeking volunteers to help run a successful "zero waste" event during the matriculation lunch and dinner on Wednesday 9/2.
We cannot do our best without your help :-) !
Please see this website for more details on times and responsibilities:
FilterForGood.com, a partnership between Brita and Nalgene, has announced a nationwide competition to promote sustainability on-campus. College students are encouraged to submit proposals outlining ways to make their campuses more sustainable. Students with the best proposals will be given a $10,000 grant to put their plans into action by Earth Month (April 2010), while the runner-ups will receive an array of FilterForGood reusable bottles and Brita pitchers. Students can find more information about the contest and then submit proposals online at FilterForGood.com through October 30, 2009.
Posted by
Marcelo
at 12:22 PM
August 20, 2009
Tufts Waste goes to the Right Place! “The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) issued 78 notices of non-compliance this month (July) after a statewide inspection sweep found widespread violations involving the improper disposal of significant amounts of recyclable and recoverable materials, such as paper, cardboard, televisions and computers.
The list of violators covers a wide spectrum of public and private institutions, the food and retail sectors, as well as educational and medical facilities.”
Many of our esteemed peers are in this group, but not Tufts University, which means we are doing an exceptional job of not only decreasing our waste stream but also keeping us in compliance with Massachusetts law! This press release contains a list of violators.
Congratulations to everyone at Tufts who work hard to keep trash in the trash and recycling with recycling!
Kimberly-Clark and Greenpeace partner on sustainable forest initiative The parent company of such ubiquitous brands as Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle has recently pledged to promote forest conservation by getting all of the wood fiber for its products from environmentally responsible sources. As the new industry leader in sustainability, Kimberly-Clark is setting a powerful example on how successful businesses can also be environmentally friendly, even in tough economic times. Click here to read a Reuters article about this exciting news!
Posted by
Marcelo
at 1:56 PM
June 29, 2009
What happens to all that recycling anyway? Ever wonder how the items you recycle are made back into new products? A nifty new video made by Metro Regional Government offers answers. Click here to watch.
During these difficult economic times, many Americans have been forced to go “back to the basics.” Cook at home instead of go out to eat. Forego those extra pair of jeans. Take a vacation in-state instead of around the world. While simplicity has become a useful way to save money, it is also a valuable environmental principle. With so many different scientific studies producing competing claims (CS Monitor “How green are trains, public transportation, and hybrid cars? It depends.”), so many supposedly eco-friendly products on the market (Slate Magazine “How Biodegradable are Biodegradable Plastics?”), and with many new technologies still too expensive or impractical (New York Times “Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting”), it is time to go back to the environmental lesson we all learned in elementary school: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Although not as flashy or innovative as today’s green buzzwords, reducing your consumption, reusing your products, and recycling your waste is as cheap, simple, and effective as any effort to reduce your carbon footprint. Although our program focuses on recycling, the first two R’s are actually the most beneficial to the environment. Simply buying less stuff eliminates the need to reuse or recycle products. Despite American’s reputation as conspicuous consumers, the financial stress that many households are experiencing has meant that consumer spending has dropped off in recent months. Whatever the motivation, purchasing fewer goods translates into energy savings in production and transportation and less waste in landfills. Reducing consumption involves asking questions such as “How necessary is this product for me?” or “Will I need to replace this product in the near future?” or “Can I purchase a product in bulk or with less packaging?” Out of the three R’s, reduction is the most effective way to be environmentally friendly.
Reusing products is the other often forgotten step in the three R process. Complimentary to reduction, reuse keeps waste out of landfills and helps to eliminate the need to buy or use certain items. Common examples of reuse are the reusable grocery bags seen in checkout aisles across the country. The reuse of products can be accomplished through donating gently used items to local charities or resellers or using old products yourself for new purposes. Reusing takes some creativity and time, but you don’t have to spend any money or worry about possibly complex recycling regulations. The reuse concept can also be applied to one-time use items, also known as throw-away items. Instead of wrapping your sandwich in aluminum foil, put it in reusable Tupperware. Instead of buying bottled water all the time, buy a water filter or pitcher and a reusable water bottle. However you decide to reuse, remember that it is preferred to recycling.
While eco-trends may come and go and scientists debate the latest advancement or contradictory data, the three R’s remain a simple, cheap, and effective way to reduce waste and be environmentally friendly.
Posted by
Marcelo
at 10:23 AM
May 12, 2009
It has been a Jumbo Move-Out With the exam period over, the only thing that Tufts students have on their mind is beginning their summer adventures. But like clock work, before summer seems close to tangible, we confront the dreaded packing process. We have all said this when that moment has arrived: What to do with all this stuff? Should I sell or throw it away? I just don’t want to be bothered by this? Let’s face it—we would love if someone would just take over from there. So…Who you gonna call? Tufts Recycles!; their operation code name: Jumbo Drop.
For over 5 years, Jumbo Drop has been the awesome solution for converting end-of-the-year waste to recycled blessings. This operation, carried out by fellow Tufts students, seeks to work in conjunction with a variety of Boston charities that could benefit from the college disposal scene. At the moment, Jumbo Drop is working with three charities—The International Institute of Boston (IIB), The Boston Project and Project Home Again. Of the three, IBB has worked closely with the Jumbo Drop team members in collecting dorm left-overs. The International Institute of Boston’s involvement with the project began with Tufts student Kate Berson’s Senior community service project through the charity. The purpose of IIB is to offer legal and social services for refugees and immigrants in the Boston Area, with a concentrated focus on resettlement in the United States for refugees. Kate Berson helps facilitate IBB’s goals by personally collaborating with Jumbo Drop along with her group of IIB volunteers, gathering kitchen supplies, bedroom items, furniture, and toiletries. “Jumbo Drop’s contribution will greatly assist our effort to procure donation s of household items and as a result, will play a significant role in these refugees’ reaching self-sufficiency” explained Berson when answering why she chose to work with Tufts Recycles!. Along with socio-political charities, Jumbo Drop works with faith-based organizations. The Boston Project and Project Home Again are community- and faith- based organizations whose mission is to bring renewal in urban neighborhoods. They are working Jumbo Drop to collect furniture and household items to provide those in need with the basic comforts of home they could otherwise not afford.
From clothing to furniture, from knick-knacks to hackey sacks, Jumbo Drop has procured anything and everything that one could possibly need, dare I say even want. This program brings to light the massiveness of college consumerism as well as the dire need to integrate recycling into our everyday lives. Although several charities benefit from these bountiful Tufts donations, it seems as though there is a continuous increase in the amount of items that students choose to throw away as the years go by. We should be inspired by the initiatives of Jumbo Drop and make everyday a Jumbo Drop Day through simple reuse and reduction to better our local environment.
Posted by
Arianna
at 4:14 PM
April 21, 2009
Final Results From RecycleMania 2009At last long last the final results for RecycleMania 2009 are in. How did we fair? Tufts ranked 38th in the Grand Champion division, 18th in the Per Capita Classic, and 26th in the Gorilla Prize category. Out of Massachusetts states we finished 4th out of 12, eeking out a final week standings jump over Berkshire Community College and quelling a late surge by Suffolk University. Both finished within 0.15% of Tufts’ recycling rate. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering with their mysterious trash eating beast vaulted into first place in the state, followed by Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and Boston College respectively. Tufts also finished second in the state to Franklin W. Olin in the Per Capita Classic.
So what does this jumble of numbers tell us? In general, that we have one of the better recycling programs in the country. Over 350 schools participated this year and for us to rank in the top 40 in all of the categories says a lot about the commitment of both the student body and our recycling program towards reducing waste on campus.
For a variety of reasons, none of the measures truly says by itself how well a program is doing. Larger universities, for example, may have a low recycling rate but when you look at their total accumulated recyclables they place very high. Small universities with a low residential rate can more easily control their how much waste comes out of their school. Also, schools measure waste differently and at different intervals. This combination of factors makes the rankings in each category a bit murky.
Because of this uncertainty, perhaps Tufts’ biggest achievement of this year’s competition the comparison between our Grand Champion results this year with last year. We improved upon last year’s recycling rate by nearly 5% jumping from just under 34% to over 38.15%. Last year we didn’t have a single week where we recycled 40% of our materials and this year we had two weeks over 45%. Last year we didn’t have a single week where we averaged 4 pounds of recyclables per capita and this year we had 5 such weeks.
Overall, well done, and congratulations to all the schools that participated! A vast number of schools have improved their recycling rate in part through participation in this contest. With more schools competing every year the competition just gets steeper. Let’s keep the habits we formed this year on into the future and regular lives.
Plastic BagsAccording to EPA, the global annual consumption of plastic bags is 500 billion to 1 trillion. What's even worse is that less than 1% of these bags are recycled! Click on the link below to see the effects of plastic bags consumption and the failure to recycle these bags. PoconoRecord
Posted by
Hai
at 4:46 PM
March 27, 2009
Recycling: To Bail or Not to Bail???When we tuned in last semester to the state of recycling both nationally and internationally was in peril. The fallout for large recycling firms from the global economic crisis was a major slowdown as need across the board for project materials dwindled. With a lack of demand for resources and recyclables being an early cut back for many industries, transfer stations burst at the seams with collected materials that had no logical outpost.
Flash forward six months… Many of the problems that ailed the recycling industry still persist now but the call around the country tells us “Help is on the way!” No. Wait. That was the 2004 Kerry campaign… But, like many industries around the country the recycling industry has been jockeying for aid via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, i.e. the Bailout/Stimulus/Giveusmoneykthnxbye Bill.
And it came! In part… A recent report from Resource Recycling entitled ”Repairing Recycling:Seven ways the stimuluspackage affects you” breaks down how the stimulus package will impact the recycling industry. Compared with the astronomical $789 billion package, a relatively modest amount of funds will be divvied out to recycling and waste management projects around the country. However, significantly more impactful will be larger amount of monies invested towards rebuilding infrastructure. $48 billion, for example, is allotted towards transportation projects with metals heavy bridges and rail projects high on the list. In addition, tax rebates to firms that have purchased recycling equipment over the previous five years and funding towards LEED certified projects and could also help create a market for many recycled materials (if the monies actually go towards funding new projects and not bolster existing ones).
In all of this, the recycled paper industry seems to have been left in the dust. There may be some tax breaks available to compensate for capital purchases but the direct path to aid and new markets that will be available to the metals and plastics industries is just not there. So if you’re looking for a copy of Cosmo from July, 2008 and your doctor’s office just isn’t quite up to speed yet, check out the stacks at your local transfer station. They’re probably still there.
Vote Earth!Join the global effort by turning off all lights this Saturday for one hour from 8:30-9:30pm. Remember the blackout earlier this school year? Lets bring it back once again for ONE hour! You know you want to!
“The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) issued 78 notices of non-compliance this month (July) after a statewide inspection sweep found widespread violations involving the improper disposal of significant amounts of recyclable and recoverable materials, such as paper, cardboard, televisions and computers.
The parent company of such ubiquitous brands as Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle has recently pledged to promote forest conservation by getting all of the wood fiber for its products from environmentally responsible sources. As the new industry leader in sustainability, Kimberly-Clark is setting a powerful example on how successful businesses can also be environmentally friendly, even in tough economic times. Click 
According to EPA, the global annual consumption of plastic bags is 500 billion to 1 trillion. What's even worse is that less than 1% of these bags are recycled! Click on the link below to see the effects of plastic bags consumption and the failure to recycle these bags.