OU has a distributed cardboard recycling system composed of a network of trailers around campus that act as collection points (http://www.ou.edu/content/facilities/sustainable_practices/recycling/car...). When a trailer is full, OU Recycling hauls it off and brings in an empty one. A few months following this photo, I was able to get a cardboard recycling station setup for my college.

To my surprise, there was still basically as much cardboard showing up in the dumpsters after this station was installed as before. The problem was that there was no accountability for those who still put cardboard in the dumpster. If someone wanted to recycle cardboard, that was easy now, but if they preferred to put it in the trash, it was invisible. So I have endeavored to make the dumpsters transparent.

Every morning, I take a short walk to look in the five dumpsters that service the OU College of Continuing Education. If I find any cardboard boxes, I pull them out, cut out their shipping labels with a box knife, and recycle the box. When I get back to my office, I look up the people whose names are listed on the shipping labels and send them the following form e-mail, personalizing it for them. I also find it useful to CC someone else on these emails (it doesn’t matter who, just so that the recipient is aware that someone else knows):

Dear [NAME]
My name is Marc Jensen, and as a member of OU’s Sustainability Committee, I work to support OU’s recycling efforts by conducting sweeps of campus dumpsters to audit them and make sure that they do not contain significant amounts of material that can be recycled or reused, particularly cardboard. This morning, I pulled [DESCRIPTION] boxes that had been shipped to you from the dumpster [LOCATION].

Cardboard can be easily recycled by dropping it in the trailers distributed around campus (see all locations at: http://www.ou.edu/content/facilities/sustainable_practices/recycling/car...).

Recycling cardboard is important to the University as a way to cut our landfill usage, cut our waste disposal costs and as a revenue stream from recycled material. I know that you are likely not responsible for disposing of this material even though it was delivered to you, but please be aware that this material is ending up in the waste stream, and help by making sure that whoever does dispose of cardboard from your department directs it to a recycling facility. If you would like help setting up effective cardboard recycling in your department, I would be happy to work with you.

Thanks!
Marc

Responses to these e-mails vary, but they are typically very meek, usually variations on “I put these boxes out and I thought they were being recycled”. People are occasionally annoyed at the intrusion into the perceived privacy of trash, which is a useful social exercise on its own. But most importantly, this effort is completely in line with OU’s policy on recycling, which curtails any significant arguments about the entitlement of trash. The intention of this initiative is to create awareness and transparency, not guilt.

In the months since I’ve been doing this, the amount of cardboard appearing in our dumpsters has dropped dramatically, and the CCE cardboard collection point has become one of the most productive on campus. I brought this approach to Greg Brezinski – the head of OU’s recycling department – who responded: “We were all very surprised by the volume that your trailer was producing from the start. Other than the Union and kitchen trailers it is our biggest producer so we are very impressed with your results and thankful for your effort. It would be great if your idea could spread throughout the campus!”
Personally, I find this approach satisfying, productive and also fun. It’s a kind of forensic investigation of trash. I am attempting to replicate this approach at other colleges on campus, but to date have been unable to find anyone willing to jump in dumpsters every morning, even among the students of the OU environmental club. Cardboard is far from the worst type of material waste that shows up in the University’s dumpsters, but it is one of the most trackable, and one of the most lucrative to recycle, so it’s a good place to start.

Recently, cardboard has begun appearing in the CCE dumpsters that has had the shipping addresses blacked out with marker, or simply ripped off of the box. So this e-mail campaign tactic really needs to be considered as a first tool in a broader effort to not only create accountability and transparency in the waste stream, but also to educate and motivate the community, working toward a culture that understands and values conservation. As a single person, I am only capable of effectively policing a relatively small section of the campus, but within that area of influence this initiative is a good demonstration of the impact that a single person’s effort and intentionality can produce.