‘When in doubt, throw it out’

CODY SCHOELER, Evergreen reporter

January 17, 2020

WSU Waste Management has recently made changes to the recyclable materials that they are accepting. They are only accepting clean metal cans and specific plastic bottles. Nathan Kite, WSU Waste Management program assistant, said they implemented the changes in October. He said WSU Waste Managemen...

A Wasteful Life: Rethinking Sustainability

SYDNEY BROWN, Evergreen reporter

November 13, 2019

KOOSKIA, ID — Irene Finehout dug through a plastic crate, her fuzzy green hat shielding her from a slight drizzle. In the parking lot of this small town’s volunteer EMT center off the highway, Finehout pulled a handful of shiny apples from the crates and pointed to tiny holes that had formed on their...

University increases campus recycling efforts

ANDREA GONZALEZ, Evergreen reporter

November 5, 2019

WSU waste management invested about $4,000 in new recycling signs around campus to specify what items can be recycled or not in an effort to decrease contamination. Rick Finch, manager of WSU waste management, said the goal is to keep the recycling program sustainable. The recycling markets around...

A Wasteful Life: Palouse locals advocate for no-plastic life

SYDNEY BROWN, Evergreen reporter

September 9, 2019

Alice Ma has used the same eating utensils since 2011.  The WSU dietitian unsheaths a bamboo fork, a spoon, a pair of chopsticks and a knife from the red-and-white vinyl case. It’s the color of her alma mater, the University of Utah, where she first found her passion for sustainable living and ...

Pullman will declutter at annual event

NEPHTALI CALLES, Evergreen reporter

April 26, 2019

The City of Pullman and Pullman Disposal Service have partnered to host the annual Pullman Spring Clean Up from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Pullman Disposal Service. “Depending on the size of their vehicle, people can pay to get in and dump off the junk that’s accumulated around their house,...

ASWSU approves recycling initiative to urge lawmakers

DAISY ZAVALA, Evergreen reporter

March 21, 2019

The ASWSU Senate finalized its decision to support campus recycling initiatives and confirmed two students to College of Arts and Sciences seats Wednesday. Resolution for recycling initiatives approved Senators Kiera Rust, Grant Esomonu and Chase Urquhart authored the resolution to improve recyc...

Residents could be charged for paper, reusable plastic bags

HANNAH WELZBACKER, Evergreen reporter

February 27, 2019

Locals could be charged 10 cents per plastic bag as Washington state lawmakers consider banning single-use plastic bags beginning in 2020. House Bill 1205 and Senate Bill 5323 would ban thin plastic shopping bags and require storekeepers to charge a fee for paper bags or a reusable plastic bag, according to the legislative documents. Eileen Macoll, member of ...

New disposal surcharge to accommodate for higher recycling costs

CHERYL AARNIO, Evergreen reporter

October 25, 2018

Starting Nov. 1, a $1.59 commodity surcharge will be added to the $5.31 monthly recycling costs for Pullman residents living in single-family homes. For buildings that have dumpsters, the surcharge depends on the size of the dumpster. Larger dumpsters are presumed to have more recycling in them, which...

WSU recycling changes labels to improve clarity

ANGELICA RELENTE, Evergreen reporter

October 23, 2018

Bins with green commingled labels will soon switch to blue recycling labels in an effort to increase “clean” or uncontaminated recycling throughout campus. Rick Finch, manager of WSU Facilities Operations Waste Management, said they began to switch the labels this semester within popular student...

ASWSU shares potential recycling changes

ANGELICA RELENTE, Evergreen reporter

October 17, 2018

ASWSU Environmental Sustainability Alliance spoke about plastic waste and recycling alternatives at the Pullman City Council meeting Tuesday night. ASWSU ESA plans to provide curbside composting as an option for chapter houses and will be working with WSU waste management and Pullman Disposal Service,...

Recycling not always effective

CHLOE GRUNDMEIER, Evergreen reporter

September 28, 2018

In Pullman, commingled recycling, also known as single-stream or single-sort, is the common man’s game, but it’s definitely not where the money is made. This brings up questions of how important recycling is, what happens when we recycle something and how do we recycle efficiently? Contamination Up until recently, ...

Recycling after campus, where does it go?

November 15, 2017

Waste from WSU is processed in a university facility and then recycled or composted. The compost is used at research greenhouses or WSU-owned pastures. The compacted recyclables are sold to other companies.