The world has a major issue that we cannot refute. The statistics are there and the effects are already showing. The wastes being produced, whether municipal solid waste—like plastic and paper—or any of the other four types of waste, are killing the earth.
Like other forms of pollution, land pollution has drastic negative effects on the earth. This includes contamination of the water we use, polluted soil used to grow our food, increased rates of diseases, and many other environmental issues.
Paper waste is the most common type of waste, accounting for 25% of all the waste produced by the United States. As of 2018, for each person living in North America, 475 pounds of paper waste is produced each year. That is twice as much as any other continent in the world. The United States also leads the world in plastic waste produced per person. For each person living in the United States, 232 pounds of plastic waste is produced each year.
Let’s talk trash at Haverford for a minute.
Approximately 50-60% of the waste that Haverford produces comes from the dining hall. The other 40-50% is from the exterior trash cans around campus and the trash pulled from the interior of the buildings. According to Director of Facilities Mr. Jeffery Wilkinson, this trash lands in an eight-yard compactor, which holds the 2.4-3 tons of trash (4800-6000 pounds) the school produces daily. The lunchroom only offers single-use disposable utensils, such as paper plates, paper bowls, plastic utensils, cups, and straws, contributing to a large amount of daily waste.
The lunchroom only offers single-use disposable utensils, such as paper plates, paper bowls, plastic utensils, cups, and straws, contributing to a large amount of daily waste.
Many community members may not realize that the recycling and composting bins seen all around campus are not actually recycle bins; they’re just another trash can. The school stopped recycling after the pandemic, as it has grown much more expensive, and looks to return to the recycling game after the pause over the past four years.
“Recycling is only effective if the entire school (faculty, staff, students) buys into the program. All trash contractors have costs associated with contamination fees if recyclables are not properly separated, which in turn could impact the school’s budget,” Mr. Wilkinson said.
For the school to have a successful recycling program, every person needs to be aware of and responsible for the waste they produce and how to properly dispose of it.
The remaining 40% of campus waste is currently being improved.
“The facilities team is currently looking into replacing paper towel dispensers in all bathrooms campus-wide with hand dryers to cut down on the paper-product waste,” Mr. Wilkinson said. “Cost-benefit analysis of introducing this program is currently underway.”
“The facilities team is currently looking into replacing paper towel dispensers in all bathrooms campus-wide with hand dryers to cut down on the paper-product waste. Cost-benefit analysis of introducing this program is currently underway.”
Mr. Jeffery Wilkinson
Adding air dryers to the bathrooms will improve our daily paper towel consumption substantially by cutting down on paper towel waste. It would serve as a long-term investment and convenience. They are a quick and easy way to replace the paper towel dispensers seen around campus. While it may seem like all upsides, air dryers include a filtration system. If not properly maintained, the devices have been known to spread bacteria and germs.
According to Creighton University, it takes seventeen trees and more than 20,000 gallons of water to make one ton of paper towels. That is estimated to be around 1,800,000 gallons of water and just over 1,500 trees per year on paper towel waste seen at our school yearly. The Xlerator Hand Dryer costs $580 a unit. It would cost $37,700 to replace all bathroom towel dispensers with these units. The paper from the dispensers costs around $20,000 a year, which is cheaper. While the air dryers cost much more upfront, paper towel waste raises concerns. This waste harms the environment starting from trees being cut down and using water, to its re-emergence in the form of trash.
The upper school offers a variety of service opportunities to the student body. Fourth Form Dean Mr. Keith Belson and Service Learning Director Ms. Jini Loos organized a day of environmental science for the Fourth Form on April 15th. The Fourth Form spent the school day at numerous locations such as Haverford Reserve and Skunk Hollow to help clean the outdoor spaces.
Mr. Belson noted how the boys of the school could create strong bonds and a sense of brotherhood in activities such as sports and clubs. He hopes to allow the boys to find a new avenue to bond together, but more importantly, help to serve the environment and the communities around the school.
Ms. Loos had similar thoughts about the Day of Service. “It’s a greater opportunity for the bonding and building of brotherhood for the good of the community and environment,” she remarked. “I hope the Fourth Form as a whole will have a common sense of doing something for the common good.”
Despite concerted efforts towards service, the community as a whole still seems negligent in taking care of trash. The school has a wide range of connections, great funding, and a supportive student body which have been taught to care for the community around it.
The Episcopal Academy uses reusable silverware to feed its students and faculty and produces less trash than our school despite its much larger size. Why should we be worse than them in taking care of the community and earth that we live in?
We often compare ourselves to other schools such as the Episcopal Academy. A major headline each year for our school is EA Day where we compete with them in fall sports; we have been victorious these past two years. The Episcopal Academy uses reusable silverware to feed its students and faculty and produces less trash than our school despite its much larger size. Why should we be worse than them in taking care of the community and earth that we live in?
The excellence that students at Haverford spend all their time thriving for will mean nothing in 50 years if the world cannot recover from the damage that is being done to it.
