Sam Houston and Huntsville going 'Green'
by: Tracy Lau

The groundhog may have proclaimed an extended winter, but Sam Houston State University and Huntsville have never looked greener.

The SHSU Student Government Association recently passed a bill implementing recycling on campus. The project includes putting recycling bins in academic buildings and campus dormitories as well as other facilities.

Senators approved the bill in late January. Bins have already popped up by classroom doors but are nowhere to be found in the dorms. SGA plans to put bins in 25 residential buildings on campus, offering recycling to 2500 occupants. The plan calls for 75 bins in the dorms, which should be in place by April.

"We are in the process of purchasing these bins," Chief of University Affairs Mariel Kanene said. "We have to make a couple of deals because we're trying to get the student government logo on the bins. We've had some pricing difficulties."

The bins will be emptied by SHSU Vending Department, which has 30 bins of its own in academic buildings and campus eateries. Each 63-gallon bin is divided into a slot for paper and holes for aluminum and plastic.

Vending empties the bins and sells the recyclables at Try 2 Recycle. This income helps pay for the program, but Birdwell said they make "almost nothing," possibly losing money.

"Recycling is a total loss. It's just the right thing to do," Birdwell said.

Other Texas schools have already established aggressive recycling programs. Rice University, Stephen F. Austin and University of Houston are avid participants of RecycleMania, a nation-wide competition between universities. SGA's Kanene believes SHSU did not start recycling sooner because of funding problems and a lack of planning.

"[Other schools] put action behind their talk, and I guess that's what we really try to do," Kanene said. "We know recycling would be really good, but what work can we put [in to implement] it?"

The Vending Department is promoting recycling through Recycle Wednesdays on campus, Sam Goes Green yard signs in the mall area, banners and mass e-mails. Recycle Wednesdays are weekly events held between the Lee Drain Building and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building in which student workers from vending accept items that are recyclable but not accepted by the bins on campus, such as long shredded paper and washed food cans.

If response to the program is positive, vending will consider investing in 75 more bins for the campus. Another 25 bins are expected to be donated from Coca Cola.

Junior Liana Ramirez, a criminal justice major, walks past bins in the CHSS Building on a daily basis and has seen Recycle Wednesdays in action.

"I've recently began to bring water bottles to class, so I will recycle them now after I'm done," Ramirez said. Ramirez thinks it's "a way to get everyone involved" but wishes there were more bins in more locations.

"The recycling program is successful because I've been hearing about it," Ramirez said. "It's out there, and they publicized it well."

On the other hand, the City of Huntsville began their recycling pilot program in Elkins Lake on Jan. 7, with approximately 1250 carts issued to the neighborhood of about 1350 homes. Results have been positive, with an average participation rate of 61 percent, which is a higher percentage than many other recycling communities. The average number of tons recycled each week is about 8.21 tons, with the recent Feb. 18 curbside pickup a total of 7.38 tons.

"The revenue we do get through the recycling center does not cover the cost of [operation]," Superintendent of Solid Waste and Recycling Esther Herklotz said. "It's not a matter of revenue being generated but the idea of a cleaner earth, a safer earth and a greener earth being the ultimate goal."

Unlike SHSU, the local government has had a drop-off recycling center since 2001, with the current facility located at 590 I-45 Frontage Road. The facility is manned by an attendant on duty Monday through Friday and is open for drop-offs from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center accepts additional recyclables such as glass, oil and large cardboard, while the curbside pickup only accepts small cardboard boxes, aluminum cans, newspaper, plastics type one through seven, steel cans, office paper and magazines. The pilot program will last until July, and city council will then consider whether to proceed with the gradual addition of neighborhoods or to execute city-wide curbside recycling.
However, if the program is expanded, the city would need to consider the possibility of upgrading the infrastructure and increasing the amount of labor. "Our obstacles have been that if we were to expand, we're going to need a bigger facility because the one that we have now, we can barely fit what comes in," Herklotz said.

If you are interested in dropping off recyclables materials, below is a list of places you can go to help:

Try 2 Recycle 916 15th St.

City of Huntsville Recycling Drop-off 590 I-45

TJ Burdett & Sons 570 I-45