Recycling bins for plastic bottles and aluminum cans at North Platte Community College make recycling easy and convenient for students, staff, and visitors at the college.
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Waste reduction and recycling efforts have become increasingly important at all MPCC campuses in recent years. Staff, faculty, and students at the college have been working hard to find ways to save money and save the environment at the same by using a variety of recycling methods.
A $7,774 grant awarded to Mid-Plains Community College by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) last summer greatly assisted in increasing the recycling efforts at the college. The grant monies were used to purchase desk side paper recycling collection units, plastic/aluminum recycling collection units, can liners, and promotional posters/educational flyers for MPCC’s area campuses.
“This relatively small grant has made a huge impact on recycling efforts at the college,” said Angela Raby, Area Grant Writer and former director of Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful (KNPLCB).
Indeed, recent reports from the North Platte campus indicate that 368.96 cubic feet of aluminum, 473.5 cubic feet of plastic, and 13,020 pounds of paper have been recycled since the kick-off of the recycling program in July 2009. Newspapers, cardboard, printer cartridges, and other items are also routinely recycled.
“Before we purchased the paper collection units, there weren’t receptacles in most of our offices and classrooms,” Raby said. “The grant allowed us to put a paper receptacle in all offices and classrooms throughout MPCC’s 18-county service area. We also have bins for plastic bottles and aluminum cans throughout the buildings. Students, staff and visitors at the college can easily find a recycling bin for their containers.”
Additionally, NPCC’s South Campus became the new home of a 24-hour recycling unit in April, thanks to partnerships between MPCC, KNPLCB, the City of North Platte, and Regional Recycling.
“That unit is really beneficial,” Raby said. “It’s an accessible site for those who live or work in the areas south of town. It’s very easy and convenient to drop things off if you are coming out for a class or a game.”
Raby said she is grateful to the volunteers, staff, custodial and maintenance employees at the college who work together to ensure everyone knows the right way to use the bins and that they are properly and consistently maintained.
“I’m very pleased with the recycling efforts at the college,” Raby said. “It demonstrates that we are responsive and responsible to the communities that we serve.”
Sara Morris, NPCC Biological Science Instructor and former director of KNPLCB, has spearheaded many of the recycling efforts at the college.
“I believe that if we have a ‘green’ campus it is an example for students to include good conservation habits in their future home and workspace life. We are also making an effort to save the taxpayers money because we recycle paper and other materials,” she said. “It’s a way that we can contribute to actually keeping the costs down, as well as helping the environment.”