Waste Management for Dummies

A Brief Overview

Waste Management for GVSU Students

Recycling at GVSU

Composting at GVSU

Stakeholders

GVSU Compared to Other Colleges

Challenges to Overcome

Sources

A Brief Overview

Composting

Composting is the natural process by which materials are decomposed and turned into valuable nutrients for soil and plant growth.

Recycling

Recycling is a manmade process that allows for some materials, such as papers, plastics, and metals, to be reconstructed into new products after their initial use has ended.

Waste Management for GVSU Students

The following are items that can be recycled from campus dining halls:

Coffee cup lids
Cardboard to-go boxes
Paper bags

The following are items that can be composted at campus dining:

Paper napkins
Paper cups
Sandwich wraps
Biodegradable plastics
- Fountain cups
- To-go food containers
- Straws
- Utensils

Recycling at GVSU

There are numerous locations for recycling around the GVSU campus. Recycling bins are located in all of the living halls as well as small recycling bins in each dorm room. Multi bins for recycling can be found off campus at Laker Village, Grand Valley Apartments, and Ravines. Each academic building and dining hall contains recycling bins.

The facilities services website has a surplus of information regarding what is recycled on campus, the locations of recycling bins, statistics, and much more.

https://www.gvsu.edu/facilitiesservices/allendale/gvsu-recycling-program-18.htm

The website also contains a handout that has the specific locations of every recycling bin on campus as well as what kind of items can be recycled.

Composting at GVSU

Composting is important because it is a natural process that can use biodegradable waste to enrich the soil, reduce waste, reduce methane emissions, and much more. The compost at GVSU helps to promote healthy plant life at the Sustainable Agriculture Project Farm.

GVSU composts various items including paper products and food waste. Off-campus students may collect their compost in a bin which they can drop off at the Sustainable Agriculture Project Farm. There are also composting bins located in the dining halls.

Stakeholders

GVSU Compared to Other Colleges

Michigan State University also has a website dedicated to recycling resources such as recycling guides, a store to purchase bins, and different ways to get involved in recycling.
Kalamazoo College has a program that contains a list of recyclable items, non-recyclable items, and locations of recycling bins.
- Kalamazoo College also has a request form in which students and faculty can request a composting bucket to be placed in their room or office.
Calvin University's sustainability website includes a very specific list of what can or cannot be recycled from paper products to styrofoam to scrap metal.

Challenges to Overcome

Recycling and composting are both habits that some may find difficult to first get involved in. It is easier to simply place all waste into the nearest garbage can without having to think about distinguishing between waste products to see what can be recycled, composted, or go into the garbage.

The main challenge is getting students, staff, visitors, etc. to become involved or more involved in recycling and composting. By providing information on the various locations of recycling and composting and exactly what items can be composted or recycled, this will make individual waste sorting much easier.

Another challenge to overcome is spreading this information out to the desired audience of students, visitors, and faculty and staff at GVSU. The 2022 Fall Sustainability Showcase will aid in the spreading of this information.

Sources

Ashton, Jillian; Vaitkevicius, Eric; Keller, Nicholas; and Walling, Benjamin, "GVSU Sustainable Agriculture Project: Composting" (2019). Environmental and Sustainability Studies Undergraduate Projects. 29. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ens_undergrad/29

“Grounds.” Calvin Facilities, Calvin University, https://calvin.edu/offices- services/facilities/departments/grounds/index.html#:~:text=The%20recycling%20program%20at%20Calvin,a%20variety%20of%20other%20materials

“Surplus Store and Recycling.” MSU Recycling, Michigan State University, https://msurecycling.com/about-us/.

“Recycling Program.” Facilities Services - Allendale, Grand Valley State University, 6 May 2021, https://www.gvsu.edu/facilitiesservices/allendale/gvsu-recycling- program-18.htm.

“Recycling.” Sustainability at K, Kalamazoo College, 13 Aug. 2019, https://sustainability.kzoo.edu/recycling/#:~:text=Where%20can%20I% 20recycle%3F,lot%20between%20Trowbridge%20and%20DeWaters.

“Waste Sorting.” Office of Sustainability Practices, Grand Valley State University, 26 July 2022, https://www.gvsu.edu/sustainability/waste-sorting-335.htm.