Q – Does Augsburg have a single-stream recycling system?<\/strong><\/p>\n A – You might still find some lingering paper and bottle recycling bins around campus but don’t let that confuse you. \u00a0Augsburg \u00a0has a single-stream recycling system so feel free to toss everything into one bin. \u00a0Please be sure to empty all containers though to avoid messy spills and contamination. \u00a0Old bins are being replaced as we transition to this new system.<\/p>\n Q – “Why not have the custodians empty the desk side recycling containers?”<\/strong><\/p>\n A – The objective of a successful program is to involve broad participation; the job of\u00a0recycling is simply too large for any custodial department, waste hauler, or government\u00a0agency for that matter. As consumers we need to take some responsibility for the waste\u00a0we generate. Given the best circumstances, recycling is a break-even operation. To\u00a0spend large sums in labor dollars in sorting and transporting recycle materials is not\u00a0economically viable.<\/p>\n Besides, when we have polled customers on this, most respond that they are happy to\u00a0empty their own recycle bins. Many people use their desk-side recycling as a kind of\u00a0intermediate storage for papers they still might refer to.<\/p>\n Q – “What happens to the money the\u00a0University makes on recycling?”<\/strong><\/p>\n A – Actually, we don’t make any money. The cost of labor to collect, sort, and haul away\u00a0recycle materials outweighs financial gains. We do however AVOID certain costs; we\u00a0are charged less to remove a ton of recycle materials than we are a ton of waste. In this\u00a0way it does make economic sense to recycle.<\/p>\n Q – “We must make money on aluminum cans ?”<\/strong><\/p>\n A – Again, the labor of removing cans and sorting eliminates any profit. If we were to\u00a0separate, sort, crush, store and transport aluminum cans, we would realize some cash,\u00a0but the labor cost would far outweigh any money derived. We believe we are better\u00a0served by the current system of commingling aluminum with glass and plastic. That\u00a0system is simple, economical and efficient, and meets the objective of keeping these\u00a0materials out of the waste stream.<\/p>\n If any campus group is interested in collecting and sorting aluminum cans as a fund\u00a0raiser, we are certainly willing to accommodate that activity. In the past, Campus\u00a0Ministry, M.P.I.R.G., and others have done this.<\/p>\n Q – “When in doubt, recycle it. Right?”<\/strong><\/p>\n A – WRONG! If you are uncertain whether something is recyclable, it probably isn’t.\u00a0Contamination of recycled materials remains our single greatest problem. When waste\u00a0is mixed in with recycle materials it causes whole loads of recycle materials to be\u00a0rejected by the hauler. Food waste and beverages carelessly thrown in a paper\u00a0collection container turn all that collected paper into waste. When a recycling dumpster\u00a0becomes contaminated with trash, we even have to pay additional charges for a special\u00a0pick-up to remove it. When in doubt, throw it out! Call Custodial Services with your\u00a0questions (x1640)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" QUESTIONS ABOUT RECYCLING AT Βι¶ΉΤ΄΄ Q – Does Augsburg have a single-stream recycling system? A – You might still find some lingering paper and bottle recycling bins around campus but don’t let that confuse you. \u00a0Augsburg \u00a0has a single-stream recycling system so feel free to toss everything into one bin. \u00a0Please be sure to empty …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":391,"featured_media":0,"parent":7404,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-53622","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53622"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54039,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53622\/revisions\/54039"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/green\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}