by Liz Carter
Daily Cougar StaffUH students will soon see a new addition to their classrooms. It's not a tenured professor or high-tech computer equipment, but a blue "desk-side recycling bin."
Although most recycling efforts on campus have failed in the past, the UH Conservation Committee has been successful in reducing UH solid waste by 25 percent.
The administration created the committee three years ago, after Ann Richards directed all state agencies to reduce waste and encourage recycling.
"The program supports an important part of the university's mission by helping us all become more careful stewards of our campus resources," said Conservation Committee Chairman Stephen Barth.
"There had been two or three programs on campus before that didn't succeed," Barth said. "They always tried to start campuswide."
The UH Conservation Committee, on the other hand, began its project with the faculty in only four buildings, Barth said.
Committee members gave each faculty member in E. Cullen, Heyne, M.D. Anderson Library and the Hilton Hotel a blue desk-side recycling bin and a short, informative speech on the do's and don'ts of recycling.
Faculty members are expected to empty recycle desk-side bins into larger bins, which are strategically placed in their buildings, Barth said.
Paper products are sold to ACCO Recycling, while Browning-Ferris Recyclery, which has a trash-sorting machine, picks up secondary trash for a minimal fee.
Physical Plant employees rarely have to make the two-and-a-half-hour trip to an Alvin landfill, Barth said. This cuts cost in half.
There is only one full-time employee who is responsible for emptying the larger bins, said Frank Colson, a physical plant employee. This leaves most of the responsibility with the faculty.
Now recycling is second nature to faculty who recycled more than 1 million pounds of garbage in 1995, Barth said.
Barth is hoping that students will be as eager to participate.
"It's difficult to get a grip on the students' priorities," he said. "Perhaps they haven't been given the right opportunity yet.
"We'd like to increase the amount of paper we collect on campus (with the students). We think the blue bin will catch paper products and give students alternative places to put paper."
Although the committee has several student helpers, only two students currently sit on the committee, Barth said.
Barth said he hopes the faculty-led committee will encourage students to create their own environmental organization.
"If student organizations need a service project, one thing they could do is adopt a building and service that building," Barth said.
The UH Conservation Committee and the Physical Plant are rewarding students and faculty by replacing worn-out benches with new ones made of recycled products.
"We want to reward good behavior," Barth said jokingly.
The committee became popular with the administration after the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission named UH an official partner of Clean Texas 2000.
Interim UH President Glenn Goerke said, "The university strives to be a leader in areas that affect the public we serve, and this includes resource management.
"We are committed to the continued success of this program on campus."
Students who want to participate in the recycling effort should call 743-2415.