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Trash Cost Higher Than Reported
by Katie Bryden
Nearly 40 pounds of trash per student per month
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What would you suggest Mars Hill College do with an extra $12,749? That figure was generated by adding up all of the invoices the school received from January through October for trash disposal. In a previous article, titled "Grounds Chief Pushes Recycling," the numbers were underestimated.
Grounds Supervisor Mark Norwood originally estimated that the college disposes of an average of 13 tons of trash per month, averaging about five hauls, and pays an average of $72 per haul. Those numbers added up to about $4,320 that the school would pay per year for trash disposal. This was the estimate previously reported in The Hilltop.
However, Norwood later collected the actual invoices and brought them over to the Hilltop office. With the help of a calculator, he generated exact numbers that show that the college spends more than three times the amount originally estimated.
From January to the beginning of November, the school paid $3,915 in rental fees for the trash bins located all over the campus, and then paid $8,834.24 for the haul fees and the per ton fees. That adds up to $12,749.34 that the school has paid to have all of the trash hauled from campus.
In the last nine months the faculty, staff and students have generated 137.92 tons of garbage that was hauled off to the landfill. That means that the school generates an average of 17.15 tons per month and pays a monthly average of $1,416.58.
Since then school has joined the penny for pound program, which is a program that allows local public schools to earn a penny for every pound of cardboard that is recycled in Madison County. The college gives its earnings to Madison County High School. At the same time, its participation has helped to reduce some of its bulk costs for waste disposal, as more and more people become aware of it and walk their cardboard to the big green bin behind Moore Auditorium.
The school could adopt more recycling programs. Recycling other products such as glass, metals, and plastics would reduce the bulk cost more and allow for possible refunds with applicable materials. Nearly all material is recyclable; the only issue is the availability of the recycling.
Freshman Zachary Nichols is doing his best to organize a group that will meet and discuss ideas about ways Mars Hill College can adapt a recycling program. He held a meeting for people to come and voice their opinions and suggestions, but only a few people showed up. Nichols said those who came decided that "we are going to get receptacles to place in the Stroup-Edna Moore dorms. We figured women would be more likely to recycle and would be more receptive to the program. Having to take their garbage to a designated area on the bottom floor centralizes everything," said Nichols.
If recycling is something that you are interested in, or if you would like to see a Conservation Club started at Mars Hill College, contact Grounds Chief Mark Norwood or Freshman Zachary Nichols.
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