Meijer Holland Campus goes zero-waste

The Meijer Holland Campus expanded efforts to become more sustainable by kicking off two new projects that encourage recycling this week.

Students and staff introduced an initiative to decrease waste by eliminating trash bins from offices and classrooms and placing two centralized bins at the entrance of the building. “We should see a nearly 90 percent reduction in landfill fairly quickly,” said Dan Broersma, a liberal studies major and environmental specialist at Herman Miller.

The campus also organized a dumpster dive to help educate the campus on current disposal methods. Broersma said 50 percent of the recyclable waste he collected in the dive was cardboard or paper.

Lisa Miller, director of the Holland Campus, said: “The zero-waste initiative reflects Grand Valley’s commitment to sustainability. The project has been well received so far, and people who have initial concerns quickly recognize the importance of lowering the amount of recyclable waste that ends up in landfills.”

Miller said some offices are already composting waste, but campus wide compost efforts will begin later this year.

Stay updated with these efforts on the Meijer Holland Campus Facebook page or website .