Spring Break
New UA program to reduce hazardous waste on campus
Environment
Mary Robbins
Issue date: 1/16/08 Section: News
Reducing the UA's solid and hazardous waste on campus is the primary goal of a new pollution prevention initiative to be implemented this spring.
The need for this new program spawned from the recognition that the UA produces more hazardous and solid waste than it should, said Nick Brown, executive assistant for sustainability at the UA.
The program, devised by Brown, is aimed at improving personal habits of students and faculty, developing better policies and helping lab and building supervisors become better at managing waste.
"Everyone uses and generates hazardous materials," Brown said. "It's things that generally people don't think about, from fingernail polish to pesticides and fertilizers."
Right now, it is still legal to dispose of a full can of paint and other hazardous materials along with the regular garbage, Brown said.
"That's insane," he said. "It may be legal, but it's not sustainable."
The success of the program relies on students, faculty and staff "becoming aware of its importance" and adopting "the ethic of doing the right thing," Brown said.
"The whole approach will depend on our community developing a stronger sense of what we need to do," he said.
An educational component will accompany the new program and will be particularly directed toward incoming freshmen at orientation, Brown said. The message will inform the new students that the "razorbacks are good environmental stewards."
Educational presentations will also be given to building managers to help them control hazardous material that is generated in labs on campus, in addition to other campus concerns.
A waste audit will be conducted to gain more detail about what kind of trash is being generated by different sectors on campus from residence halls to office buildings, Brown said. Brown also plans to study the contents of dumpsters this spring to determine how much waste is going to landfills from campus that could be recycled. The trash will be sorted at the county fair grounds. The study will provide a physical way to determine what "we should focus on in terms of public relations," Brown said.
The need for this new program spawned from the recognition that the UA produces more hazardous and solid waste than it should, said Nick Brown, executive assistant for sustainability at the UA.
The program, devised by Brown, is aimed at improving personal habits of students and faculty, developing better policies and helping lab and building supervisors become better at managing waste.
"Everyone uses and generates hazardous materials," Brown said. "It's things that generally people don't think about, from fingernail polish to pesticides and fertilizers."
Right now, it is still legal to dispose of a full can of paint and other hazardous materials along with the regular garbage, Brown said.
"That's insane," he said. "It may be legal, but it's not sustainable."
The success of the program relies on students, faculty and staff "becoming aware of its importance" and adopting "the ethic of doing the right thing," Brown said.
"The whole approach will depend on our community developing a stronger sense of what we need to do," he said.
An educational component will accompany the new program and will be particularly directed toward incoming freshmen at orientation, Brown said. The message will inform the new students that the "razorbacks are good environmental stewards."
Educational presentations will also be given to building managers to help them control hazardous material that is generated in labs on campus, in addition to other campus concerns.
A waste audit will be conducted to gain more detail about what kind of trash is being generated by different sectors on campus from residence halls to office buildings, Brown said. Brown also plans to study the contents of dumpsters this spring to determine how much waste is going to landfills from campus that could be recycled. The trash will be sorted at the county fair grounds. The study will provide a physical way to determine what "we should focus on in terms of public relations," Brown said.
Be the first to comment on this story