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Relief comes to UAS’s recycling state of emergency
By Liesl Schuepbach
Whalesong Staff
Newly hired UAS
recycling coordinator Melanie Dohner said,“Juneau is a place
isolated by beautiful mountains; and mountains don’t make good
landfills.” Originally from Idaho, Dohner is a five-year resident
of Southeast Alaska and is currently completing her forth year at
UAS, as a marine biology major.
“I have an interest in the environment and working
in the natural world. Wanting to help out the environment, by recycling,
is something that keeps the natural world together,” commented
Dohner.
To compliment her driving interest in biology and the
natural sciences, Dohner has had several earth-conscience experiences,
including a student exchange to Hawaii, where she was a key member
in founding the Pacific Action Alliance. PAA is responsible for
many recycling programs and environmental health efforts in the
Hawaiian Islands. Now back home in Juneau, Dohner’s goal as
the UAS recycling coordinator is to improve upon the former, less
effective recycling program, and to spread awareness about how fellow
students can contribute to maintaining a healthy environment.
“We all love the natural beauty of Alaska,”
explained Dohner, “But we don’t always see how pollution
adds up or the problems it creates; if we don’t take action,
we are going to lose that beauty."
Dohner’s first plan toward recycling and reducing
waste at the Juneau campus will begin with the formation of a recycling
club. “The hardest part about my job as a recycling coordinator
is getting people involved. I am one person out of many who care
about the environment. I am hoping for a lot of support from the
student body and faculty”, said Dohner. “ We have such
a strong student community here in Juneau; we should all take some
responsibility toward recycling and reducing or reusing our trash.”
Efforts that Dohner has in mind for the student population include:
recycling their papers, bottles, and cans, finding a way to reuse
materials, or simply considering how much they use and throw away.
Problems facing recycling efforts in the past were mostly
due to limited opportunities to recycle waste. UAS had very few
recycling containers and all recyclable material must be shipped
to Anchorage or Seattle for processing. Nearly all waste produced
by the city of Juneau builds up in the landfill or is incinerated.
“I don’t want to be breathing in a smoldering plastic
bottle. Do you?” Dohner added. People need to be informed about
what is recyclable and what is really trash. In actuality, almost
everything from metal scraps, rubber, plastic, and even old paint
cans, can be processed and formed into something new. Recycling
is really worth the effort when you realize how many new things
can be made from waste products. Recycling products such as metals,
plastics, and papers, also saves on the natural resource based raw
materials of oil, ores, and trees.
With UAS becoming more environmentally aware, Dohner
can take the initiative to bring several improvements to UAS recycling
programs. Some new additions to look forward to are recycling awareness
bulletin boards, an increase in the availability of recycling receptacles
(that will actually help on a daily basis), campus clean-up activities,
and fundraisers to help the shipment of recyclables to processing
plants in Anchorage and Seattle. “Students are our strongest
resource. We need to work together to take care of the natural resources
that we have here in Alaska and we need to focus on the importance
of unpolluted mountains and forests, clean water, and clean air,”
Dohner said.
Dohner can’t save the planet by herself. So, if
you have a useful suggestion for recycling efforts or if you are
interested in joining the recycling club, please e-mail her at:
jsmmd2@uas.alaska.edu.
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