Glenville State University to implement Adopt-a-Building Program to bolster campus recycling efforts

GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Members of Glenville State University’s Environmental Science Club and the Alpha Iota Chapter of Chi Beta Phi, the scientific honorary for undergraduate students at Glenville State, are launching a new program to aid with recycling efforts across campus. The Adopt-a-Building program allows individuals, academic departments, offices, and campus clubs to collaborate and manage recycling bins in each building around campus.

“Once they’re registered, individuals or groups can begin collecting recyclable materials and arrange transportation to the community containers currently located in Glenville at Hays City. We can even help facilitate transporting the materials with the campus Physical Plant if needed,” said Dr. Nabil Nasseri, Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management in the Department of Land Resources and the faculty advisor for the Glenville State University Environmental Science Club.

Nasseri adds that he hopes transporting the recycling off campus will be a short-term solution, as the long-term goal is to have a centralized location on Glenville State’s campus for all of the recyclable material generated by the institution. The on-campus recycling hub would be part of ongoing sustainability initiatives.

Students in the Environmental Science Club are also working on a campaign to help educate campus about what can and cannot be recycled.

“While we are not going solve the worlds waste problem, we can try to make it a little better. One individual recycling is a drop in the bucket, but a community recycling is many drops – and a full bucket in its component is a collection of drops,” Nasseri said. “A major goal is simply to reduce our waste footprint. In January 2022, Glenville State generated around six tons or 12,000 pounds of trash. We estimate that 40-60% of that could have been recycled, with most of that being cardboard. Even recycling 15% of that would have resulted in 1,800 fewer pounds of waste going into landfills that month.”

Those interested in participating should contact Nasseri at Nabil.Nasseri@glenville.edu.