People were talkin’ trash at Colorado College on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Not only were they talking it, but they were also sorting and analyzing it.
About 30 cubic yards of trash was piled high around the Earle Flagpole on Worner Quad – visual reminder of how much trash CC accumulates in a single day.
“Trash Peak,” sponsored by EnAct and the Office of Sustainability, highlights the college’s participation in the 10-week national Recyclemania competition among colleges and universities to see which college’s recycling numbers are best.
Members of EnAct sorted the trash and audited it, determining that approximately 40 percent of the material could have been diverted from the landfill by recycling, composting, or reusing. Emily Wright, CC’s sustainability coordinator, says, “From our first week of tracking, we 
calculated CC’s waste diversion rate to be between 45 and 50 percent. So, theoretically, we could get up to 80 or 90 percent waste diversion if all of the recyclable material generated on campus was sent through the single stream system.”
The goal is to increase awareness of the college’s waste minimization rate by cutting down on trash and promoting use of such items as reusable mugs and water bottles, Wright said.
CC’s Carnivore Club also participated in the event, grilling burgers outside Worner Campus Center for those who wanted them. And “Art of Recycling” barrels, painted by the students the previous weekend, lined the walkways. Most of the painted barrels will be placed around Worner to promote Recyclemania, and a few will be donated to municipal buildings.
