|
 |
Goals
We will work to reduce waste by using less at the source.
We will establish programs to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost campus waste where possible and practical.
We will dispose of what can not reasonably be recycled in an environmentally appropriate manner.
We will use recycled and recyclable materials when appropriate.
We will work to reduce paper consumption.
Practices and Accomplishments
Since 2002 Colby's RESCUE (Recycle Everything! Save Colby's Usable
Excess) program has diverted thousands of unwanted but still usable items out
of the waste stream. For more details click here
Pre- and post-consumer food wastes from all dining halls are collected and composted. For more details click here.
Leaves and grass clippings are centrally collected and composted, saving on materials hauled to landfills and providing organic fertilizer for campus use. For more details click here.
Brush, limbs and other collected wood materials are chipped and reused on campus, saving on materials hauled to the landfill and decreasing the need to purchase additional materials for use on campus. For more details click here.
Whenever possible, Dining Services utilizes foods that are packaged in bulk (such as cream, butter, jelly, peanut butter, cereal, milk, juice and soda), reducing the amount of packaging used and the amount of refuse generated.
Napkins are unbleached and made from recycled paper. Furthermore, napkin dispensers are placed on each table, reducing napkin use by a case per month per hall.
Through "just-in-time" production and the use of historical production records, 94 - 97% of all food produced is utilized by the consumer.
All waste oils and fats are saved and collected by Baker Commodities for recycling.
China and flatware are used whenever possible to avoid the use of disposables. Only linen or reusable vinyl tablecloths are used.
All incoming first-years are given a reusable mug to cut down on the number of paper cups used for take-and-go coffee. The campus sandwich and soup shop (a.k.a. the Spa) discounts refills of coffee and tea when customers use their own mug.
Darkroom chemicals containing silver, a listed hazardous waste, are collected campus-wide and shipped for silver recovery.
The College has reduced its use of chemicals enough to reduce its hazardous waste generation category from a large quantity generator to a small quantity plus generator (EPA classifications). Waste processing/shipping costs have been reduced by approximately one-third.
|
|
