Even though the University stopped glass recycling during the 2008-2009 academic year, it has contributed greatly to the recyclemania competition.
Recyclemania is in week seven out of 10, and director of sustainability Nick Hennessy said residence halls that recycle glass are in the lead due to the weight of glass.
“When BGSU stopped recycling glass, certain halls took it upon themselves to start their own recycling program,” he said. “The only halls which do not have their own program are [Harshman Anderson Bromfield] and Founders.”
The reason for stopping the glass recycling in 2008 was cost.
Ken Reiman, director of the waste department in Bowling Green, said the cost of recycling the glass outweighs the cost taking the glass to the landfill.
“Each month BGSU pays $41.40 per ton to put anything in the landfill,” he said. “The issue with glass is the recycling value.”
When glass is recycled it can make a profit of up to $40 per ton if it’s clear. But it can also cost more than $40 per ton to recycle. Each time the University recycles glass, the cost of the freight truck to transport it is $25 per ton. Then the glass needs to be pulverized by a machine, which was just fixed at a cost of $10,000. It also needs to be boxed, and each box can cost $4 or $5 per ton, and then the labor of pulverizing, boxing and separating by green, brown or clear.
“The value of it, if you’re lucky, might be $5 a ton,” Reiman said.
Once the glass is recycled in the city, it gets used in asphalt. But Reiman said it’s always cheaper to buy a raw product, such as sand.
“You can think green thoughts as much as you want, and I consider myself a tree hugger,” he said, “But it all comes down to, can you pay your bills?”
Hennessy also said he wonders why the University still markets glass materials on campus if there is no glass recycling program in place.
Mike Paulus, director of Dining Services, said the University has no choice in selling glass in the dining halls because of the contract with Coca-Cola Co.
“There’s a beverage committee on campus which decides what we sell in our halls,” Paulus said. “We don’t have any choice in the matter.”
Kathleen LeRoy, director of student affairs budgets and administration, said the Coca-Cola contract is set to end in 2014, making it a seven-year contract that started in 2007.
As part of the contract the University needs to sell a certain number of Coca-Cola products, as well as 7UP products, Sara Meyer, Marketing Advising Coordinator said.
“The Coke company recommends certain products for us to sell, but overall we sell what students want,” she said. “If the products were offered in a different material, we would be open to buying it.”
