During my time at Haverford, I’ve frequently found the amount of printed paper excessive. We are often given large packets at the start of class, just to barely touch them before tucking them into our backpacks, never to be seen again. Or we throw them into the class trash can, sometimes in the blue trash can specialized for paper, sometimes not; it doesn’t matter. All the trash bins—general waste, recycling, and paper—at Haverford go to the same place anyway, as the school no longer recycles classroom paper, bottles, or cans.
The two options for the disposal of paper lead to dramatically different outcomes.
The production of paper exerts a heavy environmental toll, as it drives deforestation, requires large amounts of water, and demands significant amounts of energy, leading to further greenhouse gas emissions. For every ton of new paper produced, 17-31 trees and about 27,000 gallons of water are used. The pollutants from the manufacturing process end up in both the atmosphere and waterways, threatening public health and ecosystems.
The two options for the disposal of paper lead to dramatically different outcomes.
Throwing paper into general waste, which Haverford does, means it ends up in a landfill, where it anaerobically decomposes into methane, a powerful greenhouse gas with a warming potential 81x more powerful than carbon dioxide across a 20-year timeframe.
If Haverford is to say it is “preparing boys for life,” it must teach its boys to be cognizant of the environment, as the threat of environmental damage only becomes more imminent each year…
In contrast, recycling paper offers ecological savings. Manufacturing paper from recycled pulp requires 70% less energy and water than manufacturing paper from virgin wood. Additionally, recycling one ton of paper can save up to 17 trees. Furthermore, it reduces air pollution by up to 73% and, crucially, avoids the production of methane.
If Haverford is to say it is “preparing boys for life,” it must teach its boys to be cognizant of the environment, as the threat of environmental damage only becomes more imminent each year, moving the crisis from a distant, abstract concept to an urgent reality impacting global stability. Simple acts such as recycling shouldn’t be far-fetched goals in the fabric of the curriculum and campus life.
If the school refuses to recycle daily paper waste, what are our alternatives? Firstly, teachers can look to be more mindful of the amount of paper material that they print. If it’s not going to be thoroughly used, why bother?
Another solution is for students to take matters into their own hands. The Sustainability Alliance, led by faculty advisor Mr. Samuel Walters and Sixth Formers Chase Baker, Jack Chisholm, and Ryan Wang, is leading a paper recycling initiative, where students collect paper from classrooms and the printer rooms at the end of each week to recycle at public municipal drop-off centers, reducing Haverford’s environmental footprint.
Haverford’s problem with paper waste isn’t just a matter of environmental awareness and sustainability, but a reflection of how we treat the systems and world around us.
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