Lethbridge College is still without a composting and recycling program.
For the past 14 years, culinary instructor Doug Overes has been working to get a program in place but hasn’t had much success.
“For the past five years I’ve been taking some of the recycling myself in my pickup truck. I think our practices here regarding composting and recycling are much lower than sub-par,” says Overes.
Over the years Overes has come up against several roadblocks, such as cost, space and labour but he thinks that those, especially cost, should not be the deciding factors in the program’s fate.
Overes is sticking to his guns, saying that you have to spend money to make money.
As of now, there are 32 garbage bins in the five culinary labs. With a program in place to designate one bin for recyclables, one bin for compost and one bin for trash, the total number of bins could be cut down to 15.
With fewer bins, college caretakers would spend less time emptying them. This would save the college about $200 a month. This would eventually add up to enough to be able to purchase a trailer to house the compost and recyclables.
Overes isn’t the only one who is displeased with the college’s lack of progress.
“That we’ve never had a program is understandable, that we still don’t have one is pretty stupid,” says Ryland Schinbein, a third year culinary apprentice student.
“It’s not hard to compost, so much food is going to landfills and there’s a better use for it.”
In the past, Overes has spoken with environmental science students and agricultural technology students about developing a composting and recycling program. Some supported the idea and some didn’t.
Overes says the real problem with this is that the students who would support the program eventually graduate and take their passion and labour elsewhere.
Last year the college had a Green Initiative group but this year, it has already been disbanded. It was run by full-time employees of the college who had a passion for what they were working toward but lacked the time.
Overes met with the Students’ Association on Oct 14 with the hopes of getting a composting and recycling program in place.
One thing discussed in detail was that the college should use its compost to create community gardens on campus. That way, food could be locally grown and used on campus, potentially reducing prices in the college cafeteria. With cheaper food, Overes hopes that more students would become involved in a composting and recycling program.
“It’s a win-win-win situation,” says Overes.
(Photo: Recyclable items culinary students had to throw in the trash due to a lack of recycling program. Photo submitted)