Recycling is not just for your papers and plastic.
Ohio University signed a contract with USA Lamp and Ballast Recycling, Inc. last April to remove all hazardous recyclables, from computer monitors to DVD players, discarded each year on campus.
Before using USA Lamp, the university relied on multiple companies ' each specializing in a different type of hazardous recyclables ' to dispose of the waste in accordance with regulations passed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003, which addresses the proper procedure for discarding electronic waste.
All (the new contract) does really is help us organize what we were doing at a cheaper rate
said Ed Newman, recycling and refuse manager.- said Gary Dicken, director of Property Management and Moving Services.
The company separates the waste into reusable materials without letting harmful chemicals such as mercury and lead enter the world's food and water supply, said Sonia Marcus, sustainability coordinator.
U.S. Lamp and Ballast Recycling transports and disposes of the computer monitors, kept in semi-trailers at the Ridges, for $0.37 per pound.
The price of florescent bulbs ranges from $0.21 to $0.38 each and batteries range from $0.10 to $4.50 per pound, according to Newman.
The contract does not guarantee that USA Lamp receives the waste.
We first try to reuse it Dicken said.
Before recycling monitors, OU attempts to re-circulate them within the university or auction them to companies.
A more progressive
sustainable approach (to e-waste) is cradle-to-cradle
Marcus said. Have an idea of the full life cycle of the product before you acquire it
she said.
Students can prolong the life of their electronics by turning them off when not in use, according to OU's Ecology and Energy Conservation Committee.
Try to store electronic components away from high humidity or temperature extremes
said IT Communications Manager Sean O'Malley in an e-mail. Check the owner's manual for tips about extending battery life, he said.
Once electronics, bulbs or batteries die, Recycling and Refuse Management encourages students to coordinate e-waste pick up with them or leave e-waste at a residence hall recycling site, Newman said. Students and faculty can also send cell phones and ink jets through intercampus mail, he said.
For a full list of recyclable items, visit www.facilities.ohiou.edu/recycle.
cb119506@ohiou.edu
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Caitlin Bowling
