The College of New Jersey has received $42,000 from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Enhancement Act Grant to perform a campus waste and recycle audit.
The project, which will be driven by students engaged in fieldwork, will provide campus leaders with reliable baseline data on the college’s current waste management practices.
“The majority of the funds will be used to employ students in the development of new methods to increase awareness of the issues and develop practical strategies for waste reduction consistent with our Campus as a Living Lab efforts,” said Paul Romano, senior director of sustainability and energy management at TCNJ. “Once the college better understands what we are disposing of, it will identify opportunities for waste reduction and diversion from the common waste stream.”
The efforts will include intensive outreach and education components, such as the development of green teams that will provide hands-on experience to students who will work with contracted engineers to identify campus buildings from which to pull and analyze waste samples.
TCNJ is one of six public higher education institutions in the state to be awarded funding through this grant. All six will work in harmony to create a meaningful partnership to improve decarbonization efforts and establish more efficient waste management practices on their campuses.
“This grant will provide us the objective basis by which to compare ourselves to other higher education institutions here in the state and measure our progress to reduce avoidable waste and assure the appropriate disposal to minimize environmental impact,” Romano said.
For more information on the college’s waste management and recycling efforts, please visit the facilities management website.
— Luke Sacks