Dorms rally for recycling

Residents of McCarty South acquired matching dorm accessories last night when students lugged recycling boxes back to their rooms.

Members of Students Expressing Environmental Dedication (SEED) kicked off their pilot recycling project, People's Action for Paper Recycling (PAPR), by distributing boxes to dorm residents with the goal of making paper recycling more convenient in dorm rooms.

Blocking both the stairs and elevators leading up to dorm rooms, SEED members were successful in distributing almost all of their 200 boxes as students gladly accepted recycling boxes donated by Weyerheauser.

But some members had trouble giving away boxes to apathetic students who said they were too busy to stop or that they just weren't interested.

"One guy said some snide comment like, 'I like to throw my paper in the trash,'" said SEED member Josh Hegarty. "I think he was just kidding, though."

Music played in the background as students were offered vegan pastries and other treats donated from local vendors such as Noah's Bagels and the Flying Apron Bakery.

Posters lined the dimly lit hall explaining what items are safe to recycle. Voices could be heard echoing down the long hall as SEED members informed students about the benefits of recycling to the earth.

"I'd like to use this kick-off event to educate people about recycling and talk to students about what SEED and PAPR [are] trying to do," said SEED Director Tim Yang.

Yang recently received the Mary Gate's Leadership Grant for his four months of work on the project. Forfeiting much of his spring break to launch PAPR, Yang said SEED has consumed much of his time.

"I left my home in Kent last Wednesday and have been working on this project ever since," said Yang who said he only got two hours of sleep the previous night.

"Today is a huge step," said Clive Pursehouse, Haggett Hall resident director of Housing and Food Services. "It is going to determine whether or not students are dedicated to recycling."

While recycling has always been available to students living in the dorms, McCarty South now is equipped with a large recycling bin on every floor. In an effort to make recycling more convenient for students, SEED's 30 active members have volunteered to empty the recycling bins on a rotating basis.

"We're trying to see if we can make recycling easier for students," Pursehouse said. "SEED members want to be a part of the process by having hands-on experience."

SEED members will gather the recycling, weigh it to see how many pounds of paper are being recycled daily and make sure it gets to Waste Management, a company that buys the used paper to turn it into new paper products.

Sean Whiting, McCarty Hall's resident director, said while fire codes and limited funds have kept the dorms from having recycling available in the dorms for many years, he hopes the results of this project provide the UW with information on whether or not this is a feasible option for the future.

"If this campaign is successful it will show we are saving money and more paper is being recycled, so it'll be a good thing all around," Whiting said. "Residents themselves need to ensure this project is successful by using it."

Many students were happy to receive their new recycling box, saying it is about time.

"I'm really excited about finally having recycling boxes in our rooms," said McCarty resident Gena Kim. "This is going to be so much easier. I think a lot of students were waiting for this."