Recently, we in Facilities and Support Operations received an email from a company that makes and sells recycled trash bags. They asked us to look into the reduced footprint and cost of a recycled content bag, in comparison to bags made from what are called virgin plastics – newly produced plastics that have never been recycled. Always being open to new ideas, we sent this news along to purchasing, to evaluate these new, greener bags as a potential option for our university. After all, recycled trash bags sound like a good idea.
After some digging, we came to a rather startling conclusion; the bags we are currently buying for most of the buildings on the academic quad, as well as Hutchinson, the Meliora, and several other buildings, are already 50% recycled content! These bags are tear resistant, to prevent waste from torn bags or the need to double bag large containers, which saves plastic through reduction as well as reuse!
With every department on campus looking for small new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle every day, it’s hard to keep track of all the improvements. After stumbling upon a few projects like this one, however, there’s one thing we know for sure – we’re greener than we think!