recycling

SGA passes legislation for new recycling bins

By:
Published Feb 8, in Campus, News

Mercer’s Student Government Association unanimously approved legislation to contribute $2,500 to place new recycling bins on campus. Students for Environmental Action (SEA) requested the money from SGA’s special funding account.

SEA originally requested $7,875 from special funding, enough to purchase three new recycling bins, which amounts to nearly 50% of the remaining money in special funding.

After two weeks of deliberation, SGA approved the legislation to fund $2,500. A request has been made to the Board of Appropriations to match the $2,500, and President Underwood has committed to funding the rest.

Monday night’s vote came after the legislation had been tabled two weeks previously due to concerns over the amount of funding requested.

 Parliamentarian Gene Mitchell had moved to table the legislation because the request came before a turnover in the voting body due to elections and in order to give President Jordan Locke and Vice President Ike Ekeke time to speak with the administration about the issue.

“The first time [the legislation] went through, I could tell that there was no one who was anti-recycling, but I could tell there were some senators who were a little leery about giving so much of our special funding budget to the recycling program,” said Jordan Locke, SGA president.

Over the past two weeks, SEA president Katie Martin organized a movement to gain student support for the recycling initiative.

SEA members and SGA members wrote a letter template to senators asking them to vote in support of the legislation and took copies to classrooms and dorms asking students to address them to their senators. Senators received more than 200 letters.

“It was really grassroots organizing at its finest on Mercer’s campus,” Martin said.

Martin explained that the new bins are needed because the existing program has been so successful since its inception last fall.

SEA has met with Physical Plant to determine the best locations for new bins. Currently, the plan is to put two bins near Winship-Adams and Garden apartments and one near Connell Student Center.

Mercer also stands to make money off expanding the recycling program, Martin said. Currently, the cost of managing the recycling is higher than any profit made from materials like cardboard, paper and aluminum cans.

“By having more bins, you have more recycling, and you can cover the cost,” Martin said. She believes this is an important step towards sustainability for the program.

Senator Mollie Davis expressed reservations Monday night for senators doing legwork for constituents.

 “I applaud senators for working for causes like this, but I feel like in the past when organizations have come up and not done background work or not been fiscally conservative like we’d like them to, we’ve turned them down,” she said. 

Senator Trent White, who helped Martin pass out letters, said he felt compelled to help with the initiative because it’s an issue that’s been very important to him. The move to bring recycling to Mercer was started during White’s presidency.

White said that, in the past, it has been part of SGA culture that senators do not do constituent services, but he disagrees with this mindset.

“I think since senators represent students, it’s important for them to take up causes the students want to be enacted,” he said.

Senator Bentley Hudgins said Monday night that some of the students who addressed letters to him had approached him with concerns that they had not been adequately informed of the cost of the program and may not have supported it had they known.

“I talked to them and I said ‘well I also wanted to ask you did you know that they’re asking for almost $8,000?’ and they said ‘no I didn’t know that,’ and I said ‘did you know they were asking for only three recycling bins?’, and they said ‘no I didn’t know that, and then I said, did you know this is almost 50% of our budget and we can’t afford to do that?’ and they said, ‘no but I wish you would have told me,’” he said.

While Hudgins said he is pro-recycling, he also said he has a problem rewarding actions that mislead students.

“It’s not an attack on SEA, I just don’t know if they realize what they did,” he said.

Parliamentarian Mitchell, who helped recruit students to sign letters, adamantly disagreed with Hudgins.

“When 36 people send you letters and your response to that is to question whether these people understand what they’re signing and then to accuse a student organization and members of senate of concocting some elaborate scheme to manipulate senators is utterly irresponsible, and I would hope that students would pay better attention to who they vote for. When people don’t understand what their constituents are conveying, you get answers and responses like that of Senator Hudgins,” he said.

Mitchell also stated Monday night that those handing out the letters asked each person if they were in favor of increasing the recycling infrastructure. If students had any questions about fiscal responsibility, they were answered, and every single person who signed was encouraged and waited upon to read the letter they signed, he said.

“It is very apparent that Senator Hudgins was blatantly and obviously trying to mislead his constituents by saying ‘only three bins’ because three bins almost doubles the availability of recycling on campus, which Mercer students have demonstrated that they want. For him to suggest to students that we can’t afford these bins is misleading,” Mitchell said.

White, after voting an “emphatic yes” to the motion on Monday, said he feels this is an excellent use of special funding, because it is a long term policy. “I think that SGA should be putting its funds towards public services and public goods that benefit the students,” he said.

Locke said he is glad the motion passed, but he is ultimately glad the motion was tabled so he could work out a solution that made it easier for the senate body to accept the motion and approve it.

He also said he was glad to do the extra work for the initiative. “If students are really passionate about wanting something like this, it is our job to help facilitate that,” he said.

According to Locke, the administration was incredibly receptive of the idea.

“The administration is pretty good with recognizing when students really want to get something done on campus,” he said.

He also believes the amount of support received made it easier for the president to support the initiative, since he feels Underwood is a president who respects students.

The Board of Appropriations has not issued a decision on whether it will match SGA’s funding, but Locke said he is optimistic.

“I think it would be a travesty if they decided not to use the remaining funds on the project,” he said.

Young Puns – Episode 1

A new political talk show hosted by Mercer students

By:
Published Feb 2, in Breaking, Video

Seniors Gene Mitchell, Liz Bibb, Trent White and Matt Hickman discuss national and local politics on a brand new political show hosted by MERCER99 and produced by Alex Preston, Joshua Whitfield and Tyler Schumann.

Cafeteria reusable containers come with unnecessary price

Opinions Editor Brittany Dant attacks to-go containers

By:
Published Sep 21, in Opinions

The recycling bug has bit at Mercer. What with Trayless Tuesdays in the cafeteria to cut down on water waste and the newly implemented dorm recycling containers located outside the lofts, freshman dorms and the apartments, Mercer is abuzz with recycling programs.
In fact, just last week the Environmental, Health and Safety Office and Heather Bowman Cutway announced to Mercer students that in an effort to reduce the amount of waste Mercer sends to the landfill, our Student Government, Students for Environmental Action, HOD Environmental Concerns Committee, National and the Physical Plant department have teamed up to expand recycling at Mercer even more.
Plastic bottle and aluminum can recycling containers are now available in numerous locations across campus.
Knight Hall, Tarver, Ware, Wiggs, the Science and Engineering Building and many more buildings now all have containers for aluminum recycling and more than half of the newest recycling locations also offer containers for plastic disposal.
I am in full support of the new recycling program, just as I was in full support of the biodegradable to-go boxes the cafeteria changed to last year, even though the silverware packets were devoid of salt and pepper.
The problem is not with the recycling program. My problem has to do with the new green, reusable to-go containers that first made their debut last year.
My issue is not that the containers are reusable, or that they are to be turned back into the cafeteria staff or the machine located across from the vending machines in the Connell Student Center to be washed and then given back out.
The problem is not that the cafeteria is trying to be environmentally friendly by minimizing the amount of trash produced by Mercer every year. That is something to be proud of. Way to go Mercer for trying to minimize our environmental footprint.
The problem is the addition to the to-go containers. The fact that students are now forced to either pay $3.50 to be able to use the to-go containers or be forced to eat in the cafeteria.
While $3.50 is not an absurd amount of money and in most other circumstances there would be no reason for complaint, the fact that students now have to pay not only for a meal plan—which, let’s face it, are a bit expensive—and a to-go container if they wish to take the tasty cafeteria food anywhere besides the cafeteria premises is ridiculous.
Freshmen and sophomores already pay well over $2000 a semester for unlimited and 14-meal-a-week meal plans.
A ten-meal membership costs close to $1500 and even the least expensive meal membership, the 40-block meal plan, costs $375. These prices are crazy.
That means that every time someone with a 40-block plan goes and eats at the cafeteria, it costs them approximately $9.37 per meal.
The prices only increase from there.
But now, instead of it being free to take food from the cafeteria, as it was the first three years of my career here, it now costs an extra $3.50 to buy a container for the food to go into.
All I am saying is that we already pay enough for meal plans at Mercer, so shouldn’t we be able to take the food we already pay outrageous prices for anywhere we want to take it for free?
Is it not too much to ask that we be provided containers instead of having to buy the containers?
And if the prices for the reusable containers are a necessity, why are they not included in the prices that we already pay for meal memberships?
Students should not be surprised the first time they go to the cafeteria wanting a to-go box with a $3.50 ransom.
Students should be able to take the cafeteria food anywhere they want for no charge.
Get rid of the mandatory price or add it into the meal memberships because any additional costs Mercer students have to pay out of pocket for trivial things should be cut out.
Don’t we already pay enough?

Comments, criticisms, rebuttals and issues about this opinion can be emailed to opinions@mercercluster.com.

University-wide recycling program approved

New plan could come into effect as early as May

By:
Published Mar 16, in Campus, News

Juniors Shannon Giddens, Trenton White and Katie Martin worked with the administration and SGA to develop an effective recycling program for Mercer. The administration recently approved the campus-wide initiative.

SGA president Trenton White recently announced a new campus-wide recycling initiative that will be in full swing by fall 2011 and could come into effect as early as May.

Under the new plan, recycling bins for aluminum, paper and plastic products will be positioned across campus within easy reach of students, White said. The bins will be black in color and feature the Mercer logo as a way for them to fit in with the aesthetic feel of campus as a whole.

The units cost several thousand dollars each, but are made to last and will not need to be replaced for at least 10 years, White said. Five bins will be located by the dormitory dumpsters.

To prevent contamination –– a problem that has been common in past on-campus recycling efforts –– the units will feature different slots appropriately sized for different recyclables. The bins are designed for outdoor use and can withstand a variety of weather conditions.

The plan will also include a public education component meant to increase student awareness about the importance of recycling in their everyday lives, White said.

Both SGA and Physical Plant have amended their budgets to support the program. Student interest has made the program a reality.

White said he hopes the new recycling plan will help position Mercer as a leading regional institution in the area of environmental sustainability. More high school students are looking at green efforts when applying to colleges, and White said he thinks  having a program like this will encourage more students to apply to Mercer.

“We want this university to be on the forefront of recycling efforts. Compared to other schools, we haven’t always had the most comprehensive recycling strategies. But we’ve worked with what we had, and now we’re finally moving in the right direction,” White said.

White said that what sets the new initiative apart from other previously short-lived recycling programs on campus is that the new initiative includes broad-based support from the university administration, which will help make it more viable long-term by allowing existing university departments and infrastructure to help out in the process.

“Virtually everyone from the president to the dean, down to anyone in the administration, is in support of this plan. Many students have been passionate about this issue and led strong efforts in the past, but now we finally have everyone on board,” White said.

Katie Martin is the president of the Students for Environmental Action, the organization that has been tasked by SGA this academic year with helping to draft the new initiative. Martin said she’s excited about the prospects of the new recycling plan as a way to make Mercer a more environmentally friendly campus.

“We’re creating a lot of trash on campus, so it will be better in the long run for it to go to other facilities to be recycled,” Martin said.

SGA brought the plan directly to President Underwood, who agreed to move it forward and figure out the best way to bring recycling to students.

A problem that has been faced in the past was trying to find a company to buy the recyclables, especially in the recent struggling economy.

National, Mercer’s on-campus facility maintenance company, will collect the recyclables and take them to Physical Plant, which has large, separate trash bins for the products. Macon Iron will then come pick up the bins and take their contents to be recycled.

Macon Iron does charge a fee, but Mercer will earn some money back from the recyclables.

“Thinking long term, you pay to have your garbage taken to the landfill, so even if we’re not making money from recyclables, if we’re not paying more than the tipping fee for the landfill we’re still coming out ahead,” said Dr. Heather Bowman-Cutway, the SEA advisor and Mercer biology professor who will be overseeing the initiative.

The program will begin next fall, but Cutway said that as soon as the bins are in place. there is no reason to delay the process. Physical Plant is ready to begin and National understands its duty in the program.

Because recycling will not be a mandatory program, students will be required to provide their own dorm room recycling bins––for example, a cardboard box––and then take it outside to the bins to be organized.

While the most immediate push is to place the units as soon as possible, Cutway said that another goal is to place recycling bins inside campus buildings.

“The other place we want recycling offered is in academic buildings, particularly those which already have a vending machine area. That’s just a natural location to have recycling,” Bowman-Cutway said.

While the program will focus mainly on plastic, aluminum and paper, some days will be dedicated to recycling different materials. Last year, cardboard was recycled on Move-In Day and one huge dumpster was entirely filled with cardboard.

Faculty and staff have been working together and with the students to make the program work. Russell Vullo of Physical Plant has helped out in the process, Cutway said.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Cutway said. “I’m glad we’re finally getting up and running because it’s the right thing to do.

Cluster staff writer Carl V. Lewis contributed to this report.

SGA announces university-wide recycling initiative

New program creates administration-backed recycling program

By:
Published Mar 2, in Breaking, Campus, News

SGA president Trenton White announced on Wednesday a new campus-wide recycling initiative that will be in full swing by fall 2011 and could come into effect as early as May.

Under the new plan, recycling bins for aluminum, paper and plastic products will be positioned across campus within easy reach of students, White said. The bins will be black in color and bear the Mercer logo as a way for them to fit in with the aesthetic feel of campus as a whole.

The plan will also include a public education component meant to increase student awareness about the importance of recycling in their everyday lives, White said.

White said he hopes the new recycling plan will help position Mercer as a leading regional institution in the area of environmental sustainability.

“We want this university to be on the forefront of recycling efforts. Compared to other schools, we haven’t always had the most comprehensive recycling strategies. But we’ve worked with what we had, and now we’re finally moving in the right direction,” White said.

White said that what sets the new initiative apart from other previously short-lived recycling programs on campus is that the new initiative includes broad-based support from the University administration, which will help make it more viable long-term by allowing existing university departments and infrastructure to help out in the process.

“Virtually everyone from the President, to the Dean, down to anyone in the administration is in support of this plan. Many students have been passionate about this issue and led strong efforts in the past, but now we finally have everyone on board,” White said.

Katie Martin is the president of the Students for Environmental Action, the organization that has been tasked by SGA this academic year with helping to draft the new initiative. Martin said she’s excited about the prospects of the new recycling plan as a way to make Mercer a more environmentally friendly campus.

“We’re creating a lot of trash on campus, so it will be better in the long run for it to go to other facilities to be recycled,” Martin said.

SEA advisor Dr. Heather Bowman Cutway, a professor from Mercer’s biology department, will oversee the initiative.

For more on this developing story, read the next issue of The Cluster, or check back in at www.mercercluster.com for updates.

Cluster online editor Carl V. Lewis contributed to this report.

Bottle deposit programs practical

By:
Published Feb 23, in Columns, Opinions

Recently, I have been granted the opportunity to work on creating legislation for the state of Georgia to adopt its own bottle deposit program.

A so-called “Bottle Bill” sets up programs where, after purchase and consumption of the contents, consumers can drop bottles and aluminum drink cans off for a monetary return. This effort is helpful to the environment by reusing materials already extracted from the earth.

Naysayers will make the point that in some cases we use much more energy in recycling the products than just extracting new materials. While this is true for aluminum/bauxite, there is a significant advantage for all creatures on the earth to take up the least amount of space as possible for trash.

We can banter all day about the pros and cons of the bottle deposit program, but there is no sound argument against it. This would raise the cost of drinks by a few cents, but it would be cost effective. If you cared enough, you would trade the bottles back in and get the few cents back.

Beverage containers constitute between 40 to 60 percent of litter overall. Deposit laws significantly reduce this number, leading to a massive reduction in litter and trash. Not only is this an aesthetic benefit, but this is also good for general health and wellness. Conservative estimates are of a 69 to 84 percent reduction in the amount of litter from a bottle deposit program.

Nevertheless, curbside recycling is much more efficient and easier than bottle deposit programs, and in curbside recycling, there is no need for handling fees, deposit initiators or reclamation centers. Despite this, an estimated 50 percent of Americans do not have access to curbside recycling, and this only addresses the use of beverage containers at home—not in the workplace or other places away from home. Surprisingly, the EPA has said that tripling the number of curbside recycling programs has actually seen a decrease in the number of aluminum cans recycled.

On a side note, bottle deposit programs are often referred to as taxes on the consumer. Nonetheless, how can this be called a tax if they get the money back? In addition, the only people affected by this so-called “tax” are those who actually purchase the product. The rhetoric against bottle deposit programs is foolish, and big corporations sponsor it, such as Coca-Cola in Georgia. This will not lower sales much, if at all. Their costs would go up, but this would be negligible, and most corporations have recognized the need to work for a social good. Consumers are developing conscience, and they will pick something that is better for the place they live in.

While we might call this foolish and an idealist’s dream, look at businesses and organizations that have succeeded as of late. TOMS Shoes just makes shoes that are similar to other companies’ products, but people flock to TOMS Shoes due to ITS social good. This would have a similar affect for Coca-Cola. Furthermore, there would be a small increase in permanent jobs, beneficial in this tough recession.

This is just a small list of the benefits that the bottle deposit program brings. Honestly, the number of states that have instituted this is growing, and there are a number of states currently with proposals in their respective state legislatures, along with a couple that are expanding their preexisting programs to great avail.

Whether or not you believe there is climate change or a finite number of resources (which we are close to running out of), this is a cause that we can all get behind: taking better care of the planet just because it’s the right thing to do. Do we not have a duty to both ourselves and others? Kant would think so, and he would refer to bottle deposit programs as a categorical imperative that we all can get behind.

Comments on this opinion can be sent to garret.mcdowell@gmail.com