Campus recycling gets easier

Tree-huggers across campus won't have to try so hard to correctly dispose of their plastic bottles any more. A pilot recycling program, which will place about 22 new recycling containers around campus, was announced yesterday by the Undergraduate Assembly, the Penn Environmental Group and the Office of Facilities Services. University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi were there for an unveiling ceremony on College Green. The pilot project is the product of a task force composed of members from the UA, PEG and Facilities Services. Following a survey conducted by the PEG last year and a resolution passed by the UA on September 24 concerning outdoor recycling, the administration agreed to demands for more recycling containers. A total of 22 new recycling containers will be placed on campus. Nineteen of those will be located between Spruce and Walnut streets from 34th to 38th streets for the recycling of aluminum, glass and plastic. The remaining three will be located on College Green and at the two ends of Locust Walk on 36th and 37th streets for outdoor paper recycling. The program was launched by UA Student Life Committee Vice Chairman Jed Gross, PEG co-Chairwoman Sharon Hsu and Director of Facilities Services Michael Coleman. Following opening remarks by UA Chairman Michael Bassik, all three spoke about the new initiative. Hsu emphasized the fact that the new program is an important asset to Penn's campus. "The University of Pennsylvania is among the world's most prestigious universities, and a university of our size, reputation and affluence should have a recycling system that correlates to its ability and desire to protect our environment," Hsu said. Gross said he was impressed by the administration's responsiveness to the pilot program. "Penn's urban environment presented some special considerations, but when the Division of Facilities Services was put to the test, they responded by developing a vibrant, operable pilot project," Gross said. Following Bassik's closing remarks, Gross, Hsu and Coleman participated in a symbolic ceremony by recycling an apple, a Pepsi can and a copy of a The Daily Pennsylvanian. Rodin said she was pleased with the project. "I'm delighted that the UA has taken the mantle of PEG's project and at the same time that PEG has expanded its scope and the size of its goal," Rodin said. "I think it's a great project and a lot of hard work has gone into it." Coleman noted how helpful the program will be for the recycling effort on campus. "This program will help us better understand how to improve recycling and make it fit into the campus in such an urban setting," Coleman said. However, it is the Penn community that will determine the effectiveness of the program. "I know it will be successful if people participate in this recycling effort and we are relying upon our students to get the word out," Rodin said. Gross noted that the project will rely upon the collaborative effort of the entire community. "The ultimate test is in the hands of the student who collects quarter sheets on Locust Walk and in the hands of the professor who finishes a bottle of water at Wynn Commons," Gross said. "We're counting on the student body to help take outdoor recycling to the next level."