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Edmund’s College
Rebecca Bateman – ESD2 Assignment 1
Personal Change
Challenge:
Recycling Bins in
St. Edmund’s
College Buildings
Glass
Glass Recycling Bins
Recycling
Bins
Curbside
Recycling Bins
Glass Paper
(Glass, Paper,
Recycling Recycling Bins
Cans, Plastic,
Bins
Cardboard)
Glass
Recycling
Bins
2. I met with the Housekeeper. She was very reluctant and defensive about
having her staff empty the bins.
• She felt it would be added work for the staff (larger and heavier bags to move),
although I countered that the total amount of waste they removed would be the
same.
• She did not feel the students would comply with recycling directions (e.g., washing
and proper material separation).
• She finally agreed to a three-month trial period of having housekeeping staff empty
the bins if the students or college purchased the bins.
• If there was sufficient student compliance, the system could continue.
4. As of the time of writing this, the letter was still under review. The Bursar’s Office
has advised that as this cost was not in the yearly budget, chances are low for
approval. The CR may have to foot the entire bill, which the Environmental Officer
tells me should be acceptable.
5. If and when bins are purchased and placed in college, I will be starting an
educational campaign to advertise proper use of the bins to the students –
including obtaining fliers from the City of Cambridge Recycling Program,
emails to all students, instructions posted near the bins, and word of mouth
among my friends.
6. Ideally, this scheme would last for years into the future.
• I encountered a great deal of resistance from the College Housekeeper. The meeting
with her was very uncomfortable. She had obviously been approached many times
by students about this and seemed to take out her frustrations on me; she was
hostile straight from the beginning of the meeting. I felt I was very rational and
polite, while she was defensive. I left the meeting feeling shaken and angry, although
I was pleased she agreed to the trial period compromise.
• I worry about student compliance with recycling procedures. Until I met with the
Housekeeper, I wasn’t concerned. But, as she has attached so much importance
to this, I get the feeling I may not be seeing the whole picture. My plan is to enlist
the help of my friends that live in these buildings to persuade fellow students to
properly use the bins.
• I also hope money to purchase the bins does not derail my plans.
It is possible that there will not be sufficient funds, but I will have
to cross that bridge when I come to it.
2 Aceti Associates of Arlington, MA 2002, ‘Recycling: Why People Participate; Why They Don’t’, Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection. Available from: <http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/crbdrop.pdf>
[24 February 2009].
http://www.nigelsecostore.com/
acatalog/Home_Recycling_Unit.
html