by Catelyn Fitzgerald ‘23
“Dining has always been a place where we have wanted to reduce waste,” said Helena Littman `20, a member of the Students for Zero Waste club on campus. “It is a huge producer of waste on campus and we are really able to see that because we all eat in the dining hall.'' Littman and members of Students for Zero Waste are working with staff from dining services to increase recycling at Mount Holyoke, starting with Grab ‘n Go because of the plastic waste packaged lunches produce. They are planning to introduce TerraCycle as a new method of recycling to promote sustainability on campus.
TerraCycle is a company that aims to increase recycled waste by reusing, upcycling, recycling and composting waste that is usually rejected by other recycling programs. The company accepts a wide range of products from light bulbs to snack wrappers. The company also has a program called “Loop,” where customers can purchase their favorite products in reusable containers which are recollected and refilled to eliminate single-use materials. At Mount Holyoke, bins will be placed near Grab ‘n Go for students to dispose of chip bags, which will be sent to a TerraCycle facility to be recycled. Students for Zero Waste is also exploring other waste streams on campus that could become TerraCycle programs in the future.
For students, this initiative offers a way to have a reduced environmental impact, even when busy schedules and tight budgets make it difficult to be eco-friendly. It does, however, come with challenges.
The college is currently on a waitlist to receive the waste collection boxes from TerraCycle so it can start the program, because chip bag recycling is currently a widely popular program. Combined with an effort to reduce waste overall, the introduction of more alternative recycling programs can dramatically reduce the environmental impact of the college.