Recycling

Where Goucher started
In 1991, there was no recycling program at Goucher College. Facilities Management Services (FMS) initiated a recycling effort, but without support from others, the program was less than successful, and the effort struggled.

In the mid-1990s, working with the student club Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO), FMS was able to place containers around campus, set up centralized trash rooms, embark on educational initiatives, and begin tracking the refuse on campus. The student group also created "Green Teams" to oversee recycling in the residence halls.

Goucher College has continued to place a high priority on recycling, but a successful program requires students, faculty, and staff to change their habits and commit to participating in reducing and reusing resources.

What Goucher’s accomplished
The President’s Office, the student club Earthworks, and FMS have teamed up to place a special emphasis on recycling in the residence halls. The collaboration has provided properly marked containers in all the trash rooms around campus and has placed several recycling containers on the college grounds. 

Other recycling efforts at Goucher College include:

• Fluorescent tubes -- Goucher College uses a device that crushes these tubes and captures the mercury and other gases through a filtration process.
• Motor oil -- An outside agency picks up motor oil waste and blends and recycles it.
• Tires -- Tires are recycled to make mulch for playgrounds.
• Paints/solvents/cleaning agents -- These materials are handled by an off-campus environmental agency.
• Metals -- Goucher College maintains waste metal containers, which are recycled on-campus when needed.