LSU implemented a new garbage and recycling system over the winter holiday, affecting over 300 garbage and recycling units across campus except in four residential areas: Nicholson Gateway, Azalea Hall, Cedar Hall and Camellia Hall.
The change stems from the university’s new contract with garbage collection company Waste Pro, which has allowed LSU Facility Services to implement some new ideas.
The contract is set to be for three years, with the choice of another five after a renewal.
“You see the change in the color of the dumpsters,” said Tammy Millican, the LSU Campus Sustainability executive director of facility and property oversight. “And that was an effort to have them blend into the campus landscape better.”
The shapes of the dumpsters and recycling bins have also been updated to include side door access versus opening from the top. The goal of these changes was to make them more accessible.
The cost of these changes came down to a bidding process, with the exact amount to be paid set to vary based on things such as collection frequency and services provided.
“It’s a lot of different prices, it’s not just one number,” said Lisa Mahoney, assistant director for Campus Sustainability. “I haven’t heard recently that we can have a better price, like most things are inflation where increasing prices over services … Waste Pro has actually given us a cheaper price than what we were paying with the previous provider.”
Facility Services is planning to put labels on all the new bins soon to help distinguish the difference between the two. There will be front and side labels accompanied by QR codes for students that want more information about the bins.
It’s important to note that Facility Services didn’t receive a bid for recycling services over the break because of changes within the recycling system that resulted in a higher and more competitive price. However, this has motivated staff to rethink and enhance the program.
For instance, LSU has moved from a single-stream recycling system to a dual-stream, which means cardboard and paper will be collected separately as well as bottles and cans. Some dumpsters will include cardboard slits on the side made specifically for this, as well as rolling carts stationed behind dumpsters for bottle disposal.
The trio recycling bins found around campus will also be reconfigured within the next couple weeks with the goal of consolidation.
“We think that this is going to be a really good thing for us because it’ll give us a lot more understanding of our waste stream,” Mahoney said. “It’ll allow us to communicate more effectively with the campus community on how to recycle properly.”
These recycling changes in addition to other efforts, including a reverse vending machine in the Student Union and recycling for glass, battery and toner cartridges, aims to increase community efforts to recycle.
“We are really thrilled to move into the system, and we know that there may be some changes, and change is hard but necessary, and it’s just a good opportunity to enhance the program,” Mahoney said.
