Students at Berkeley have noticed a change in the campus recycling bins. Not only is the design different, but the bins are in several new locations. The Fanfare spoke with Berkeley’s Facilities Management Director, Mike Steger, to ask some questions about the update.

Since Steger’s arrival in 2013, Berkeley’s recycle output has risen from a few small bins to approximately twenty tons per year. Steger is aware of Berkeley’s recycling history, and he wants to spread the word about the recent boom. “The facility and the housekeeping staffs [understand] there’s a rumor out there that we don’t recycle,” Steger said. “We need to make sure that we refute that rumor by actually doing the right thing.”

The new receptacles feature both recycle and trash sections in one bin.  Steger says that Berkeley’s single-stream recycle system made this upgrade possible. In a single-stream system, all recyclables are collected together, rather than separate bins for plastics, paper and metal. “We figured we’d make it as easy as we can,” says Steger.  “That way, people participate.”

Steger says that student awareness of sustainability and environmentalism is what drives the Berkeley recycling program. He encourages student groups to start initiatives to promote recycling and a clean campus. “If you’re out and about,” he says, “take every opportunity you can to do the right thing.”