At Puget Sound, Environmental Sustainability Goes Beyond the Recycling Bin

“Doing this work has made me very aware of my own waste output and how my actions impact my community and the environment,” Robert says. “A lot of people talk about combatting climate change as a macro, international problem—and that’s entirely true—but there are things we can do at the micro, personal level because the choices we make add up. It comes down to saying, will I throw this away or recycle it? Will I vote for this law? Will I choose the common good or my own convenience?”

The Sustainability Services team collects recycling from across campus and sorts it to prevent items like paper, glass, cardboard, and electronics from ending up in a landfill. While Robert knows most of his classmates share his commitment to the environment, he says that contamination (when garbage ends up in the recycling bin) is still a major issue.

“It can be a little discouraging. We get a ton of food. We get a lot of things that really shouldn't go in the bin, like fishing poles and full pizzas, and then we have to throw out everything.” Robert says. “So, we do what we can to educate people. Really, recycling correctly is the bare minimum. There’s a lot more we can do.”

Robert has his sights set on making more changes to reduce the flow of waste from the university, including establishing a composting system, finding alternatives to single-use plastic recycling bags, increasing messaging to the campus community about what is and isn’t recyclable, and pushing the institution to enact more sustainable policies. He and the Sustainability Services team have already had success installing signage to help campus members understand which bin to use and giving presentations in residence halls. And this spring, they began stamping coffee cups from all three campus cafes as nonrecyclable to help prevent coffee drinkers from accidentally contaminating recycling bins.

Where some might be content with the existing system, Robert harnesses his passion for sustainability to envision a future where University of Puget Sound does more to live up to its aspiration of being an environmentally friendly campus. He finds inspiration and practical strategies to lobby for change in his religious studies and international political economy courses.

“My classes have definitely informed my approach to this work, whether that’s understanding the issues inherent in the global food system or how institutions work or the ethical questions of how we take responsibility for our actions. They’ve given me a way to frame the problems, tools to attack these problems, and an understanding that I have a role in fixing those problems, rather than shirking my responsibility and hoping someone else will handle it.”