How You Can Help

Buy Recycled

  • Request recycled materials from companies you buy from. Companies are less likely to produce recycled goods if consumers don't purchase them. Show your support by buying recycled.
  • Get Tom's of Maine or Trader Joe's toothpaste, which are made without extra chemicals but are just as effective! You can even buy a toothbrush with a handle made of recycled yogurt cups!
  • Utilize technology—communicate by phone, email, or text. Avoid using large amounts of paper. · If you like the feel of traditional paper, Rocketbook notebooks, and Remarkable are good alternatives for taking notes.

Conserve:

  • Take shorter showers. A standard shower head uses 3.5 gallons of water per minute.
  • Use cold water instead of hot when doing laundry. Up to 90% of the energy used for washing clothes goes to heating the water; cold water works just as well as hot.
  • Turn the heat on only if necessary. Try putting on layers before adjusting the thermostat.
  • Turn the heat down at night or when you are going to be away for a while.
  • Do not leave the water running when brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth while running water can take up to 5 gallons.
  • Make sure your sink isn’t leaking. One drop of water per second wastes more than 24,000 gallons of water annually.
  • Never put water down the drain when it can be used for other purposes, such as watering a plant or garden or cleaning.

Participate in Single-Stream Recycling:

Single-stream Recycling makes recycling even easier! Throw all recyclables into one bin. Just be sure to separate trash from recycling. Recycling bags contaminated with trash will be rejected at the recycling plant.

  • Paper: Recycle computer paper, note pads, envelopes, paper bags, newspapers, and glossy papers. These should be free of contamination from food or liquid.
  • Bottles and Cans: Recycle all bottles and soda cans. These should be rinsed if possible and should not contain any food or liquid.
  • Techno-Trash: Recycle all of your old technology waste, including cables, computers, keyboards, cell phones, CDs, DVDs, fax machines, printers, and phones. Specialized bins for techno trash are in the recycling rooms.
  • Compost: Consider composting in your apartment or on your dorm floor. You must complete a composting agreement by emailing [email protected]. In an age where we produce so many things, unfortunately, we also produce a lot of waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists food waste as the third largest waste stream after paper and yard waste.
  • Trash: Throw away all other garbage that can't be recycled, including food, plastic wrap, and anything without a recycling mark. Please do not throw trash in the recycling bins!

Common Recycling Mistakes

  • Many dairy containers cannot be recycled due to a waxy filemed used to preserve the product. Make sure to check for the recycling label on ice cream containers, yogurt containers, and milk cartons.
  • Putting dirty items in the recycling bin. If there are possible contaminants like crumbs or sauce, rinse out the container before recycling it.
  • Putting plastic bags or bubble mailers in the recycling bin. These items cannot be recycled due to the possibility of them getting trapped in the equipment. Plastic bags can be recycled at grocery store drop boxes.

Did you know?

Did you know that one man goes through every single bag of Recycling produced on Campus? It’s true! Nathan Wolters sorts through every single bag of our recycling at Gordon College. Nathan does this because if our Recycling reaches a certain percentage of trash, it will be rejected by the recycling facility, meaning it's all considered trash. So please try your best to recycle correctly to make life a bit easier for Nathan.

Keep Potentially Hazardous Wastes out of the Trash

Certain wastes such as batteries, pesticides, cathode ray tubes, fluorescent bulbs, etc.—can be hazardous to the environment if not disposed of properly. The Federal Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) regulate these types of products under the "Universal Waste Rule." Gordon strives to comply with these regulations by recycling these potentially hazardous materials in the following ways:

Batteries: Different types of batteries usually contain various kinds of heavy metals, including nickel, cadmium, mercury, lithium, and lead. Alkaline batteries, such as non-rechargeable AA batteries, are an exception. Domestically manufactured alkaline batteries made after 1994 no longer contain mercury and can be disposed of in the trash. Imported batteries may still contain mercury, so be sure to check the label before throwing them away.

  • NiCad, lithium, and button-type batteries should be recycled in the appropriate recycling bin, marked for batteries, located in most campus buildings
  • Car batteries, which are lead-acid batteries, can be returned where you purchased the replacement battery. Most automotive battery retailers will accept used batteries when purchasing a new one. Many garages, auto salvage operations, and scrap metal yards will take automotive batteries.

Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Most fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury vapor, which is released into the atmosphere when the bulb is broken. To protect the environment, these bulbs—and the long, straight bulbs found in most ceiling lights, U-tubes, circular, and compact bulbs—should always be recycled with special processing. Even though compact fluorescent bulbs may contain mercury, they are a good choice because they conserve energy and last much longer than standard incandescent lights.

  • Return all fluorescent bulbs, particularly those labeled "Gordon Conserves," to Physical Plant for disposal when they burn out. If you use fluorescent bulbs in lamps you own, when they burn out, bring them to Physical Plant for recycling as well.

Thermometers and Thermostats: Various items, such as thermometers and thermostats, contain liquid mercury, a toxic and environmentally harmful metal.

  • What you can do: is try to use alternative products that do not contain mercury. Because of the potential environmental and health hazards, mercury thermometers have been banned from sale in many locations. If you do have items that contain mercury, be careful with them. Do not throw any mercury-containing product in the trash. If you break such an item, notify Physical Plant for help in recycling or disposing of it.

To find out more about recycling and environmental issues, visit:

What to do in the Dining Room

  • Recycle all bottles and cans.
  • Use only the number of napkins necessary for the meal. Gordon students go through approximately 60,000 napkins per week!
  • Use silverware instead of plasticware.
  • If you want a straw, bring your own reusable straws.
  • Bring your own mug to Lane rather than contributing to the thousands of paper cups thrown away daily.
  • Use a reusable water bottle instead of a plastic water bottle. Filling up a reusable water bottle will help reduce landfills and save you money.
  • Decline paper bags at Gillies or the Bistro and use your backpack or eat at the location.

Ride a Bike

Consider using bicycles or scooters to get around campus instead of using personal vehicles. Bicycle racks are provided at all major buildings and dorms for student and staff use. Most dorms have indoor bicycle rooms for secure storage and winter protection.

Join Advocates for a Sustainable Future (ASF)

ASF is a student-run group that strives to connect with the Gordon community through the three pillars of sustainable efforts: environmental, social, and governmental. ASF is an active, student-run group that fosters interdependence, empowerment, curiosity, and community. ASF strives to make sustainability accessible and achievable by encouraging conscientious lifestyle choices. They organize outreach events, tend to the garden on campus, host weekly meetings, and collaborate with campus clubs.

  • Gina McCarthy, Director of the U.S. EPA, visited Gordon in November 2013 and spoke at a Conversations with the President event.
  • Pioneered the creation of the community garden to the side of Barrington, which is still in operation.
  • In December 2013, ASF showed the documentary Elemental and hosted a faculty panel discussion with Provost Dr. Janel Curry, Dr. Irv Levy (chemistry and computer science), Dr. Dan Johnson (sociology), and Dr. Kristen Cooper (economics & business). Dr. Dorothy Boorse (biology) served as moderator.
  • ASF is also actively involved with the Sustainability Committee, the Provost, Dining Services, Physical Plant, and other campus organizations to promote more sustainability on and off campus.
  • Collaborate with Restore Creation and clubs across campus to celebrate Earth Week with events throughout the week.
  • Partnered with the Hamilton-Wenham Garden Club in Fall 2022 to change out the community planters
  • Collaborated with Dear Neighbor during their Homecoming week to discuss Environmental Justice in Spring 2023
  • Led field trips with Community Engagement and Restore Creation to The Loft at Stetson in Lynn, MA for a morning of thrifting
  • Took students to Massachusetts's first EcoFest hosted by Unpacked Living Fall 2024

Questions? We're here to help

  1. [email protected]