During an initial audit of the building's trash on March 20, the students found that almost two-thirds of the trash from public areas and offices could have been recycled but was not. The students literally sorted through the trash to determine what had been thrown away and what was salvageable. A second audit of the building's trash on April 30 revealed that 55 percent could have been recycled. Junior Robin Zimbler, a Green Action member, explained that separating items properly is a key to the project. We have a large problem with contamination.
People throw the wrong things in the wrong bins.
Currently, the University's trash contractor does not charge to pick up the recyclable items but also does not credit the University for the value of the recyclables. However, Stephan said that if the University could significantly cut down on the amount of waste going into the regular trash, it could save on its trash-hauling contract. The group had hoped for better results in the trash audits, Stephan said. When I go through the offices checking on cleaning, I also look in the trash and see they're still throwing good stuff away. A partial breakdown of items from the trash audits reveals much of what was being thrown out.