Recent Spotlights
This Earth Month, Information Technology Services (ITS) is highlighting an often-overlooked waste stream: electronic waste, or e-waste. With support from our partners in Facilities Campus Operations(F&CO), we met with Colleen Regan, Zero Waste Mason Program Manager, University Sustainability, and Kevin Brim, Waste Recycling Supervisor, Facilities Services Logistics, to get a behind-the-scenes look at the recycling process for our old devices once they’re no longer functional.
One of the biggest takeaways is that e-waste is far more complex than it sounds. Regan emphasized that “electronics recycling includes a broad range of products, devices, and components” and those items contain “materials that can harm people and our natural environment if not disposed of properly…[while also containing] valuable materials, like metals, which can be recycled.”E-waste requires proper disposal and following university policies and practices to ensure hazardous materials are managed safely and effectively. Brim echoed the scale and complexity of George Mason University’s waste system from a managerial perspective, describing it as “a city within a city” given the high volume of materials processed and managed across campuses each day.
George Mason recycles over 80,000 pounds of e-waste each year, contributing to the university’s ‘Zero Waste Mason’ goal of diverting 90% of waste awayfrom waste incineration. This effort is part of a broader system that includes more than 15 distinct recoverable waste streams, all managed by F&CO, specifically by members of Facilities Services Logistics(i.e., FM Operations Customer Service Center, the Warehouse, and Waste Recycling) with significant support from University Sustainability’s Zero Waste Mason Program.
Ultimately, the success of the university’s waste system depends on all of us. Understanding how and where to properly dispose of your e-waste can advance the university towards its Zero Waste Mason goal, decrease social and environmental harms from inappropriate e-waste disposal. To learn more about George Mason’s e-waste process and hear directly from our experts, check out the full interview video above!
Happy Earth Month from ITS and F&CO, Patriots!🌎
Dispose of your e-waste (and all waste) appropriately by following guidance from the Zero Waste Mason Program: https://go.gmu.edu/zerowaste.
