Campus recycles for Earth Day

April 20, 2018                                      

By NCTA News

CURTIS, Neb. – Every day is Earth Day on a college campus submersed in agriculture.

The first year of a new recycling program at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis has kept 300 pounds of plastic bottles and aluminum cans out of the local landfill.

In early 2017, NCTA set out around campus 30 big 60-gallon containers for recyclables. The receptacles were provided through the Coca Cola-Keep America Beautiful College Bin Program.

Recycling containers in college buildings and residence halls are helping the environment, says Tee Bush, NCTA associate professor of mathematics and horticulture.

“We collected and diverted from the landfill 303.84 pounds of #1 plastic and aluminum over the first year,” says Bush, who serves as campus recycling coordinator as well as the horticulture club advisor.

“Students are pitching in to help by not throwing away plastic beverage bottles and aluminum cans,” Bush said.

A student worker collects bin contents, weighs recyclables, and tracks what would have been landfill waste.

Office paper and newspapers are saved and used for animal bedding for dozens of birds, small animals, cats, dogs and exotic animals used in the NCTA Veterinary Technology teaching program.

“So, we are reusing what paper we can right here on campus, and although we don’t weigh that, it’s been a hefty amount, too,” Bush adds.

Generally each spring, the horticulture club orders and plants trees or shrubs on campus for Arbor Day or Earth Day. However, erratic weather and prolonged cold temperatures have delayed tree planting.

Instead, annuals, perennials, bedding plants and vegetables are tucked in the warmth of the campus greenhouse in preparation for NCTA Horticulture Club’s Plant Sale on April 28 and May 3.

For details or pre-orders, contact Bush at 308.367.5226 or tbush@unl.edu.