By Jill Gosche
Staff Writer
jgosche@advertiser-tribune.com
Article Photos
PHOTO BY JILL GOSCHE
Tiffin University students assembled green and yellow recycling bins this week as an Earth Day activity.
Tiffin University is taking the next step in its recycling efforts.
This week, students assembled green and yellow corrugated plastic bins to be placed around campus, possibly at the end of summer, that are to enable people to recycle bottles, cans and cell phones. The effort was an activity for Earth Day, which is today.
Matt Bereza, assistant professor of psychology and Green Committee's incoming chairman, said the effort is student-driven, and students are hungry for "green" activity on campus.
"They did (the assembly) all in two hours, so they were really excited," he said.
Erin Dean, associate professor of counseling and psychology and chairwoman of Green Committee, said the committee started five years ago and began because of American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment committee. It was a national effort to get universities to become more "green," she said. President Paul Marion signed on to the effort for TU.
The group at TU has focused its efforts on recycling, and Bereza said it has taken a long time to get members of the community and campus coordinated in the effort.
"There used to be no recycling on campus," Dean said.
Several years ago, Jonathan Appel, who was serving as Green Committee's chairman and is an associate professor of psychology and criminal justice, wrote a grant through Ottawa Sandusky Seneca Solid Waste Management District.
Dean said the grant enabled the committee to get bins to start recycling paper.
Michael Herdlick, mathematics instructor, applied for a second grant, also through the solid waste management district, to buy the bins for recycling bottles, cans and cell phones, and TU had to provide matching funds. He estimated the new bins TU has are worth up to $6,000.
"They're made to be mobile," Herdlick said.
Dean said part of the funding is going to pay for a student worker or two to work on the recycling program with the maintenance department. Originally, officials had talked about a student worker using a John Deere Gator to go to buildings, collect the recyclable materials and dump them at a central location.
Figuring out the logistics of how the materials will be picked up is a project for next semester, Bereza said.
"There are places we can take it," Dean said.
Jan Samoriski, professor of communication and Green Committee member, said paper is being picked up.
