BY NATASHIA FEARON
IN FOCUS REPORTER

Humber students have plenty of room to improve recycling on campus said David Griffin, maintenance and operations manager.

Where the system fails is with public knowledge and participation Griffin said.

Griffin said waste cans are an open target for misuse. “People will chuck whatever they feel like in whichever slot,” he said. “That’s a problem because at the college we pay preferred rates for clean recycling material.”

Griffin said if recycling materials get contaminated, Humber pays a higher rate to have them trucked. “If you look into the garbage slot, there’s all kinds of recyclable material that should be in the other slot.”

Aside from the usual papers, cans and plastics, Humber also recycles wood chips, cooking oils and metals.

The Ontario government wants colleges to recycle up to 60 per cent of their waste stream, but Griffin said Humber’s diversion rate has fallen below the mark. “We can’t even get the cans and the paper separated.”

Griffin said during an audit, one garbage bag from Humber’s food emporium contained one per cent cardboard, 19 per cent plastic, 31 per cent paper, and 41 per cent organic waste. All of which he said could have been recycled if they were separated.

“So we know that we have a problem on the organic side,” he said. “Even within our recycling campaign, almost 30 per cent of some of it was contaminated with garbage.”

Worm composting breaks down food to be used as compost. Photo by Natashia Fearon

Founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters, Cathy Nesbitt, came Nov. 11 to North residence to teach students the importance and benefits of recycling. She said Humber should implement worm composts in the school and on residence for food waste.

“It’s really a wonderful way to convert some of your garbage into gold,” Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt started her business in 2002 as a tool for waste management to decrease the amount of garbage going to landfills.

Vice president of Humber’s Environmental Action and Awareness club, Troy Dettwiler, 21, said Humber residence is taking steps in the right direction by adding a green floor for students who are interested in the environment.

For more on this, read “North residence eco-floor gathers green minded students for environmental projects and activities.”

However, he said it will require the commitment of the students and faculty members to learn about the differences between recyclable materials and garbage.

“Humber is just an institution. It’s the people that make this institution and we need the people of the institution to make the difference,” Dettwiler said.

Griffin said reaching Humber’s recycling goals is as easy as the student body following the directions on the waste cans.

“If you don’t give a darn about recycling, within here or maybe you don’t even do it at home. How are we going to extend your thinking beyond just that task, to be a better global citizen?”