Student plans recycling improvements

issue 16, News, News, Shelby tatomir, Student plans recycling improvements - By Shelby Tatomir on Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 04:16

According to environmental activist and founder of Earth Day Denis Hayes , “One recycled beer can saves enough electricity to run a television for three hours.” Junior Ginger Maneske follows Hayes’s mantra and plans to inspire students all over the Whittier College campus this spring to recycle their old electronics into her collection bins for e-waste gathering.

E-waste, also known as electronic waste or e-scrap, is made up of discardable electrical or electronic devices including computers, entertainment devices, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators.

Maneske gained experience and developed her recycling plan while working with the Poets Recycling Team, and also has worked with the Raising Awareness for the Environment (RAE), whose website publicizes their “goal of educating the Whittier College population on sustainability issues and localized solutions.” Through these endeavors, Maneske is trying to make the student body aware of the environmental impact of not recycling.

“For the student body, I hope to help make [them] more involved in the expanding recycling program,” Maneske said. “It’s a slow work in progress, but I do believe by the end of next school year that the recycling movement will be a part of everybody’s mentality.”

Last year, working under Recycling Manager of Poets Recycle junior Amber Orozco, Maneske created specially marked boxes for the student body to dispose their e-waste in, hoping to start the program from there. “I collected e-waste from the library as well because I.T. didn’t pick it up last school year,” Maneske said. “I.T. started picking up department’s e-waste last summer when they found a company that would come and pick up the e-waste for free.”

The environmentally conscious junior has run into other problems as well. “It’s hard enough trying to get the students to do regular recycling with just paper, bottles, cans and such,” Maneske said. “Adding e-waste will help students become more aware of the entire movement in general, I think.”

This semester, Maneske is planning another e-waste program for the student body. “I am currently painting some boxes black and printing better e-waste signs,” Maneske said.

“They should be out by mid-next week, just in time for Recycle Mania to start, at least one in each dorm for students to drop off any sort of e-waste they have. If they have something that’s too big for the box, they can contact me through the Poets Recycle e-mail, poetsrecycle@poets.whittier.edu, and I will come by and pick it up with the golf cart and take it to I.T.”

Maneske encourages students to come to her if they hold any interest in furthering her cause.