Recycling RecycleBank

There are now empty spaces in first-year halls where RecycleBank kiosks, the collection sites for the popular recycling-for-rewards program, were once located. Despite the apparent success of Columbia’s pilot program to encourage recycling on campus, RecycleBank has vanished this year, to the surprise of many returning students. Columbia should keep students informed about the status of RecycleBank at Columbia and seek a speedy return of the program to our campus.

Fortunately, RecycleBank is not gone for good. The Office of Environmental Stewardship is talking to the New York/Philadelphia-based organization concerning its operations on Columbia’s campus. The venture to the University was a relatively new one for RecycleBank. In this innovative pilot program, college students recycled, earned points based on the weight of their recycling materials, and won prizes—a simple yet effective approach that worked. Although kiosks were only available in first-year dorms and registration information was not distributed to the entire student body, the RecycleBank program was highly successful and gave students even more of an incentive to be environmentally conscious. Though the system itself did have some flaws—such as students weighing nonrecyclable items or the kiosks malfunctioning—the benefits of the system outweighed its problems.

With no widespread announcement from the administration, the word of mouth around campus is that RecycleBank is gone, exhausted due to insufficient profit and “abuse” by students. This, however, is not the case. The Office of Environmental Stewardship maintains that the program is likely to return after the kinks of the old system are worked out. We urge Environmental Stewardship to bring RecycleBank back to Columbia as soon as possible and to expand its presence on campus by setting up kiosks in all dorms. A campus-wide program would dramatically increase students’ recycling efforts and underscore Columbia’s role as a leader in environmental stewardship. In the meantime, it is important that students remain informed not only of developments in the RecycleBank program but also of alternative recycling opportunities without RecycleBank bins. As the University continues to devise ways of improving the program, we hope to stay informed along the way. After all, it is students who must take the initiative to keep the RecycleBank program and our environment healthy and thriving.

Tags: Opinion, Editorial Board