A new program for students to donate used printer cartridges and cellular phones has begun as part of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety’s effort to expand Boston University’s recycling programs.
The new service is offered through BU’s collaboration with the Recycling Donation Center, an organization located in Stoughton that helps both schools and non-profit groups recycle to raise money.
The center has offered BU a flat rate of $1 per printer cartridge, $3 per cell phone and $20 per picture cell phone, according to Lorraine Ship, a co-founder of the Recycling Donation Center.
Printer cartridges will then be sent back to manufacturers for refilling and working cellular phones will be resold in underdeveloped areas where access to such technology is limited, according to Pamela Flattich, the administrative manager of BU’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety.
‘When I was in school, I held onto those cartridges for months,’ Flattich said. ‘This gives people the opportunity to get rid of some of the clutter in their lives and feel great about it as well.’
BU is also offering a scholarship to encourage student participation. All the funds collected from donations will be put into the scholarship fund, and students can begin applying this year for the award that will go toward next year’s tuition.
The more students who participate, the more substantial the scholarship can become, Flattich said.
‘We don’t get a lot of money for each cartridge but it adds up,’ she said.
While Flattich said BU is encouraging all students to donate old cell phones and printer cartridges, the project mainly targets students living in the large dormitories such as Warren Towers and West Campus.
In addition to placing donation collections in these dormitories, Flattich said she hopes to add information centers where students will be able to learn more about recycling and its importance at BU.
Flattich said the recycling program is in its infancy and hopes Residence Hall Associations will take the initiative to bring the program to their residences.
‘BU is improving its recycling program slowly,’ she said. ‘It is a big university with a lot of dynamics, and it will take a lot of effort to get the entire campus involved in this.’
CAS senior Caroline Oliver also said BU’s recycling program needs to improve, and expanding the types of materials that can be recycled as well as the number of donation sites on campus could result in more recycling.
‘It’s a great idea,’ she said. ‘A lot of people don’t think to recycle, but if they are more exposed to it, they will become more interested and aware.’
As a South Campus resident, Oliver said she feels a major problem with BU’s recycling program is that only residents of large dormitories are close enough to use recycling facilities.
‘I walk my recycling to Warren Towers, but not many students are willing to put that much effort into recycling,’ she said. ‘They would do it if they had better access.’
According to Flattich, the printer cartridge and cell phone program will start out small. For now the focus will be on spreading the word about the new services.
‘We are trying to keep the energy level up on campus as far as recycling goes,’ she said. ‘Things are moving forward in a positive way, so that is a good thing.’