The North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation, effective Oct.1, which bans wooden pallets, oil filters and plastic bottles from landfills. The bill promotes recycling for environmental benefits and economic incentives that come with reusing these products. Students on campus will not be forced to recycle the items; however, there could be ramifications later for the University if landfill standards are not met.

Scott Mouw, an environmental supervisor from the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance, said his office supported the bill when it was being considered and gave input on how it could be implemented.

“Although it may not happen in a day, over the course of time we hope that recycling will become much more widespread throughout the state,” Mouw said. “Ideally, whenever a business generates a plastic bottle, they will one day also offer a place to recycle that bottle.”

Mouw said while recycling has traditionally been supported as an environmental issue, it is becoming an economic concern.

“The items that were chosen for this bill were selected because they all have valuable end uses,” Mouw said. “Recycling these products will help our economy by providing jobs both for the recycling of and the re-manufacturing of these products.” 

Ariel Fugate, a sophomore in fisheries and wildlife sciences, started a work-study job this fall interning with the University’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Department.  The bill will show the benefits of recycling to diverse groups of people, she said.

“If people care about their children having space to breath and live, they need to recycle,” Fugate said. “This bill functions to make students think about recycling, not just from an environmental standpoint, but also as a legal and economic issue. Some students will recycle as a result of this bill because they want to follow the law.”

Cameron Burroughs, a freshman in biochemistry, said for him recycling is about convenience.

“If I see a recycling bin, I’ll recycle my plastic bottles,” Burroughs said. “But I’m not going to go out of my way, even with the new law.”

The Waste Reduction and Recycling Office was started in 2002 at a time when the University’s diversion rate, that is, the percentage of waste generated that was recycled, was 14.77 percent. Since its start, the office has placed more than 2,000 bins on campus and, as of 2008, increased the diversion rate to close to 45 percent, according to Analis Fulghum, education and outreach coordinator.

“The most unique thing about our program is that all of our recycling is serviced in house, meaning that our work is done completely by University employees rather than contracting workers from other companies,” Fulghum said. “This allows our office to respond immediately to problem areas.”

Although budget cuts have affected the WRR office, along with many departments on campus, they still hope to expand the recycling program in the next five years, Fulghum said.

“We want to have more recycling bins and less trash bins, especially on walkways around campus,” Fulghum said. “Already, this bill has prompted many departments and buildings, such as the Murphy Athletic Center, to call us and make sure they are in compliance.”

Nov.13, America Recycles Day, the WRR office will hold green-related events on campus.

“We are focusing on electronic recyclables, because Wake County has also banned them from landfills,” Fulghum said. “We encourage the entire campus to come to help improve efficiency and behavior towards recycling.”

Although students will not be directly charged if they do not recycle the items found in the bill, landfills could decide to charge N.C. State if it is not meeting requirements for the amount of these products allowed. This could potentially mean higher fees, especially for students living on campus, said Fulghum.

Mouw said students have a great opportunity to recycle at the University.

“It is harder to recycle off campus, although we are working to create more opportunities all over the state. This bill was created to move our state in a certain direction rather than punish people outright,” Mouw said.