Introduction
Humans have a tremendous impact on the environment through simple use of resources. Much resource use results in solid waste, either as a byproduct or an end result. Solid waste creates a significant environmental problem on many levels: it often signifies inefficient use of resources (e.g. excessive packaging); it contributes to land-use issues (e.g. landfills); and it can initiate pollution in other mediums such as air and water (e.g. incineration or leachate from landfills). All of the traditional disposal options do damage to the environment, and they are becoming increasingly costly from a strict economic perspective.

Therefore, it makes a great deal of sense to try to do the following: 1) reduce waste at the source, 2) reuse whenever possible and 3) recycle as much as possible. These practices must become part of the fabric of responsible environmental citizenship — out of choice rather than necessity.

To close the loop presented in No. 3 above, it is necessary to support the recycling industry by purchasing recycled products. The system does not operate efficiently unless there is a market for the end products of the recycling industry. Increased consumer demand will enable the recycling industry to realize the economy of scale necessary to allow more competitive pricing.

At Bates, there is much we can do to insure that our contribution to this facet of environmental issues is proactive, positive and sustainable. As a College, we have the opportunity to decrease our contribution to the solid waste overflow by rethinking some of our internal systems.

Management
Solid Waste generated at Bates is handled by two departments: Physical Plant and Dining Services. Dining Services manages its own waste, and Physical Plant is responsible for the rest of the campus. Trash and recyclables from Dining Services are handled by a private contractor. Physical Plant brings Bates' solid waste and recyclables to the Lewiston Landfill. From there it is transferred by the municipality to the MMWAC incinerator, where it is incinerated. The incineration ash is then returned to Lewiston for landfilling and fertilization.

Individuals are responsible for placing their trash and recyclables into individual containers in offices or residence hall rooms. The custodial staff is responsible for trash collection within buildings, and the grounds crew gathers the collected trash from each building. Every building on campus is also set up to recycle mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, newspapers, magazines and returnable bottles. It is the responsibility of each person to separate trash from recyclables, and to bring them to the "recycling center" in their building. From there, the grounds crew collects recyclables from the centers, and either brings them to a storage area on Frye St., or directly to the Lewiston landfill, where recyclables are marketed through a co-op.

The reality is that participation rates vary tremendously. Some dorms have fairly low rates with overflowing recycling bins half-filled with garbage that custodians end up collecting with the trash. On the other hand, some departments recycle at a consistently higher rate. For instance, in addition to recycling cardboard, cans, newsprint, colored and white paper, the College Store also recycles packing materials, plastic bags and printer cartridges.

What is mentioned above are the systems in place on-campus. Bates owns many off-site locations (Shortridge, Morse Mountain, the Boathouse, etc.) that do not receive the attention that on-campus activity does. It is essential that they be part of a comprehensive program.

Quantity
To ascertain the total amount of waste being generated on a yearly basis at Bates, we reviewed the annual trash and recycling records from Physical Plant and Dining Services. The year 1997 was consistent with the past five, and since it is the year for which complete data exists, we present it as a model. Exclusive of the extremely large quantity of wood building demolition that was recycled, we generated 558.37 tons of solid waste in 1997 — 165.53 tons from Dining Services and 392.84 tons from Physical Plant. We dealt with this waste in a variety of ways. Recycling, including composting, accounted for 33.47 percent of the total (6.75 percent of the total was paper recycling), while 66.53 percent of it was sent to MMWAC incinerator. (See Appendices B and C.)

Composition
From data collected in the fall and winter of 1997, we determined that, on average, 53 percent of the trash being thrown out by students in residence halls contains recyclable material. Based on this sampling data, it was also discovered that students will throw away over $7,500 in returnable drink containers this academic year. In administrative and academic buildings, about .34 pounds of office trash are being generated per person each day, compared to .76 pounds of mixed-paper recycling. However, about 43 percent of the trash that is being thrown out could be recycled. Clearly, there is room for improvement with recycling participation in all sections of the College community.

Recycling
The State of Maine has a statute that establishes a goal of a 50-percent recycling rate for municipal solid waste by January 1, 1998. Likewise, office paper and cardboard must be recycled by entities employing more than 15 people in one location. Bates complies with the latter of these regulations, but has not successfully accomplished the former. The Lewiston Solid Waste Facility has reported that they met the 50-percent goal in 1996.

Although Bates has been recycling for nearly a decade, the current system is in need of significant repair. The time has come to review our program and make every effort to improve its efficiency and success. The 1997-98 academic year has indeed seen increased attention in this area. A student thesis this fall culminated in a consulting report on the Bates' recycling program. Its emphasis was on the structure and management of the program and student participation and barriers in recycling. Additionally, the environmental coordinator, in conjunction with students, worked with Physical Plant to create a Recycling Proposal to be implemented in the fall of 1998.

The major limitations of the current system include:

1) Missing bins.
2) Unclear or non-existent labeling and identification.
3) A lack of the necessary resources, equipment and human, to insure consistent collection of materials;
4) Confusion as to the roles of students, custodial staff and physical plant;
5) A lack of education regarding recycling in the Bates community as a whole.

Dining Services does an exemplary job diverting waste from the traditional waste stream, operating in a manner that is fully consistent with the principles of environmental sustainability. In Commons, the major dining facility on campus, all pre-and post-consumer organic waste is recycled. The pre-consumer waste is hauled away by a local farmer who composts it and then sells the compost. Some of the compost is also sent back to Bates, where it is used in the campus gardens. All of the post- consumer waste goes to a local pig farmer in Turner. In addition, Dining Services recycles nearly 100 percent of its corrugated cardboard, No. 2 plastic, Stoneyfield yogurt containers, glass and tin. Recycled paper napkins are also recycled in with the compost.

Recycling rates depend upon system effectiveness and individual participation, and those rates vary tremendously. There are many departments on campus that are recycling and reusing materials that may not be included in campus-wide figures because they are self- contained. For instance, the chemistry department reuses vermiculite and Styrofoam packaging, but that is not systematically quantified in the overall program.

Reduce/Reuse
In general, there has not been an overt college-wide campaign focused on reducing the college's consumption. However, individual efforts to reduce the solid waste stream at the front end, initiated at various times by various departments, do exist.

For instance, almost a decade ago, the College Store stopped sending out all-campus mailings. Additionally, they once produced nearly 1,000 student booklists, but have consolidated this to no more than 50. Within Physical Plant, the Custodial Services division has switched to a bulk-control system for its cleaning products. This has reduced the amount of product being purchased, reduced packaging and allowed for the continual reuse of containers. Another excellent example of source reduction was the commitment by Dining Services to purchase its cold cereals in bulk, thereby reducing the amount of boxboard packaging that entered our waste stream. The Dean of the College has also reduced paper consumption for Muskie Lectures and programs from 1,500 to 50 sheets for each event by using postings rather than all-campus mailings.

We have the opportunity to implement prudent policy in the College's use of paper. Not only would reduced use (especially by using double-sided copies) save trees, but it would also save money. The statistics tell their own story. Currently, we use 6.5 million sheets of 8.5" x 11" white copy paper each year, at a cost of $30,000. If the college adopted a double-sided copy only policy, we could easily reduce our consumption in this area by approximately 2.5 million sheets, or $11,000. Currently, there is a concerted effort in place to encourage campus-wide double-sided copying, but there is plenty of room for stronger policy.

The college already does an excellent job reusing many of its out-of-service items. For example, Bates donates antiquated computer hardware to local schools and/or businesses. All salvageable hardware is recovered and reused or sent to a distributor to be recycled. The College also saves used furniture, and tries to find a new home for it within the campus community when the need arises. The library offers books that we can no longer use to other schools and libraries. If nobody claims them for other libraries, the books are placed, at sale price, at the entrance to the library and sold to students and faculty. Books that are still left after that are unbound and the paper is recycled.

1. The college will adopt the following written solid-waste policy.

At Bates College, it is policy that double-sided copies are the standard, unless there is an extenuating circumstance weighing against it. Furthermore, we will no longer hold major publications run in quantity in storage. We will aim to print only what we need. Finally, we will seek to purchase products made with recycled content whenever economically and technically feasible.

This will insure continuation of excellent programs now in place, as well as provide a consistent framework with clear criteria for environmentally responsible management.

2. The College will begin to implement the recycling proposal in the fall of 1998.

3. College departments will review publication runs to determine if the quantity can be reduced. This will occur in consultation with the environmental coordinator.

4. Each computer printer should be accompanied by a box for random single-sided sheets to use when test printing or if a professional-looking document is not needed.

5. Students will be encouraged, through education and, potentially, incentives, to use laser copies in the library sparingly.

6. Data on the effectiveness of recycling — dormitory by dormitory and academic building by academic building — will be maintained and reported quarterly.

7. It is the belief of the Environmental Confederation that every individual in this community will be able to find countless other ways to reduce the amount of solid waste at Bates. We encourage you to seek these and act upon them.