F&M Takes Extra-Step to Continue Office Paper Recycling

Lancaster City, along with many other municipalities nation-wide, recently reduced what its regular recycling pick-up accepts, no longer accepting office paper in the single-stream bin. Franklin and Marshall College has found a way to work around the new regulations, collecting paper on their own to drop off at the city’s recycling center. The center is still accepting office paper, just not collecting it. F&M’s Center for the Sustainable Environment (CSE) on campus has distributed green bins, specifically for office paper collection, to “Green-Certified” offices on campus. Offices on campus are rated in terms of their sustainability efforts, a process which takes into consideration their energy consumption and conservation, recycling efforts, and other waste reduction efforts such as coffee pots in replace of Keurig-cups and electronic versus printed newsletters. Once an office has been green-certified, they have proven their commitment to sustainability and are eligible for an office paper only recycling bin. So far, eleven offices on campus have these bins. The paper is collected from the bins and transported by the school to the Lancaster City Recycling Center.

- Sarabeth Erdman