Recycling program productive despite absence from dorms

Lindsey Witthaus has been an active member in environmental clubs since her arrival at Pitt…. Lindsey Witthaus has been an active member in environmental clubs since her arrival at Pitt. So when she learned that the University wasn’t going to set up recycling bins for move-in day this year, she was taken aback.

As president of the environmental committee on Student Government Board, Witthaus tabled outside of the William Pitt Union with a petition in support of Pitt’s recycling program.

“It was really inspiring. People you wouldn’t expect were like, ‘Oh my God, we need to have recycling,'” Witthaus said.

According to Facilities Management, Pitt’s recycling program was started in 1990 with the recycling of high-quality office paper. It has grown to include materials ranging from corrugated cardboard to tin and aluminum cans.

There have been concerns among Pitt’s environmental community that the recycling program is no longer active in the residence halls, but others defend the program as productive and useful.

Harry Hilliard, the recycling coordinator for Pitt, said that the recycling program is still active. According to Hilliard, Pitt recycled roughly 300 tons of paper, 200 tons of cardboard and 17 tons of bottles and cans during the fiscal year 2006.

Hilliard said that Facilities Management covers recycling in roughly 50 campus buildings, and all recyclable materials put in the designated bins in these buildings are recycled.

“Occasionally, there might be a container that’s too contaminated,” he said. “We don’t worry about that so much anymore, because that’s all sorted out at the recyclers.”

Hilliard explained that the campus is divided into several different work groups, each with their own designated responsibilities. He said that “Facilities Management” can be a misleading title. Although they have a wide range of responsibilities, their work group only covers recycling in the buildings listed on their Web site.

“We put up this nice Web site, but we also end up taking a lot of heat for shortcomings in other areas because people think we cover the entire campus, when we don’t,” Hilliard said.

The residence halls are one area that is outside of their responsibility. According to Pitt spokesman John Fedele, some changes have been made in the recycling procedures.

Fedele said that the residence halls are only collecting and recycling plastics, but they are in the process of exploring how to expand the recycling program to include other materials.

“Among the issues we are looking at are convenient locations to put recycling containers,” Fedele said. “We don’t have a timetable now in terms of when we will complete that work.”

Witthaus hopes to continue the residence hall recycling program, which was started three years ago.

“Everyone thought it was still working because the bins were still out, and then we realized they weren’t doing it,” Witthaus said. “All I can do is show that students care about it, and that students will recycle.”