Penn streamlines recycling policy

Brent Ginsberg, a College sophomore and an Eco-Rep for Harrison College House, used to find it “a pain” to separate his recyclables and “disheartening” to have to throw out most of his plastics. He no longer has to face these issues.

Penn’s new recycling policies, which went into effect at the start of this semester, make it possible to recycle all plastic types numbered from one to seven, when it previously focused only on plastics labeled one and two. The updated policy will include almost all plastic products except plastic shopping bags, according to Penn Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Dan Garofalo.

Penn has also single streamed the recycling collection process, which means students are now able to put all recyclables — paper, plastic and metal — into the same container.

Ginsberg said this is a step in the right direction as previous standards “discourage” people from recycling since sorting can be “a lot of work.”

Penn’s recycling policy changes are in tandem with those of Philadelphia.

On Aug. 1, the City of Philadelphia started accepting all plastics numbered one through seven in curbside recycling containers, when previously only one and two were accepted.

Rebecca Pritzker, a College sophomore and the head of waste management for Penn Environmental Group, said the city’s changes came as great news for Penn because they will further recycling goals in the Climate Action Plan — the University’s long-term plan to reduce its carbon footprint.

Garofalo shared this sentiment and hopes that these changes, coupled with effective publicity, will help Penn achieve its goal of recycling 40 percent of everything thrown away by 2014. During the 2010 RecycleMania — a ten-week recycling and waste-reduction competition between more than 400 North American colleges — Penn ranked fourth among the Ivy League, recycling 23.53 percent of waste.

Campaigning on campus has been off to a slow start. Eco-Reps in all college and Greek houses are still overhauling outdated recycling signs. Pritzker noted that these efforts, however gradual, are essential.

“If we start first semester, these recycling practices will become more ingrained,” Pritzker said.

However, despite their seemingly all-encompassing new policies, neither Penn’s nor Philadelphia’s recycling facilities can accommodate more challenging items such as light bulbs, hardcover books or batteries.

Penn students, however, have the option of dropping off their used compact fluorescent lamps at the sign-in desks of most college houses and recycling empty ink cartridges and batteries at the Penn Computer Connection, according to Pritzker. Facilities and Real Estate Services encourages interested students to go to its website for more detailed information on what qualifies as being recyclable.

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