Tufts Recycles has instituted a new on-campus recycling program, with a pilot program in Miller Hall to replace dorm-room recycling bins with durable bags that hang on resident's doorknobs.
The program is run by the Facilities Department and derives much of its manpower from student interns.
Dawn Quirk, Tufts' recycling coordinator, said this trial run is an attempt to fix several problems plaguing conservation efforts in campus dorm halls.
"In a meeting with the OneSource custodians I learned that because students are not supplied with trash cans, some use the [individually distributed] recycling bins to collect trash," Quirk said.
Tufts Recycles is addressing this problem by drawing a clearer distinction between bins for recyclables and trash. The new receptacles save floor space and make it easier and more efficient to carry materials to the larger recycle bins in dorms' common areas, Quick said.
Miller resident Chris Roby said the program "will be far more effective than last year because the bins did end up being used for trash because of their appearance. It was also hard to sort the materials once you lugged the recyclables to the common area," he said.
Roby also said the recycling bags are "incredibly convenient and make toting around your recyclables less of a chore."
Quirk has not yet determined the economic advantage of the recycling bags, since the bags cost more than recycling bins.
If implementing the bags increases the amount of recyclables and results in less trash, then "the less trash the University has to pay for, the more money would be available for other initiatives," she said.
Continuation of the program is contingent upon whether students return the recycling bags at the end of the trial.
Tufts Recycles will conduct research during the semester to gauge the program's success and gather feedback from Miller residents and OneSource employees, who are responsible for emptying bins in the hall's common areas.
If the trial program succeeds, Tufts will join several area universities who have already fully implemented the initiative.
Harvard University distributed recycling bags in response to complaints that previous receptacles took up too much room. Boston University is also testing the bags' economic prospects and efficiency in terms of conservation.
But Freshman Miller resident Allison Kornstein said the new program has not made her recycle more. "I still recycle sometimes but I don't use the bag," she said. "Hopefully the presence of the bags will - at the least - remind people to recycle."
Nevertheless, Quirk is optimistic that the majority of Miller residents will respond favorably to the program and encourage its expansion to other dorms and on-campus houses.
"The more convenient recycling is, the more people participate," she said.
