A new twist on recycling-- something else I learned during my internship in Italy
This past summer I participated in a media internship in Urbino, Italy, and I stayed on campus at Urbino University.
It was an amazing experience.
I learned a lot about multimedia and about Urbino, a small college town.
Among the interesting things I learned, outside the classroom, was about a different method to recycle.
Urbino University has two cafeterias. In both of the cafeterias, there are assorted recycling bins.
Also, there are "recycling" machines the size of small refrigerators that we used daily after each meal.
We ate on paper plates, drank from plastic cups, used plastic eating utensils and paper napkins.
All the items, even the plastic wrapping that our plastic forks and spoons, came in was 100 percent biodegradable.
After every meal, we used trays to transport our used paper plates, plastic forks, spoons, knifes, napkins to the 5-foot tall machines.
We tapped a sliding door of the machine with our tray.
A light turned green when the door opened, and we emptied the plastic and paper product into the machine's large mouth. (We dumped any left-over food in the bins beside the machine.)
The red light would come on and the large mouth would close and chew, (I mean smash) all the waste into a small box.
Sometimes we had to wait our turn in line for the red light to turn green.
But I didn't mind.
The chore that the white waste-eating machine was fascinating to watch.
When I completed my internship and returned home in July, I decided to research recycling.
I has since learned that a well-run recycling program costs less to operate than waste collection, landfilling and incineration.
According to the website "Recycling Evolution," recycling creates 1.1 million U.S. jobs, $236 billion in gross annual sales, and $37 billion in annual payrolls.
For every job collecting recyclables, there are 26 jobs in processing the materials and manufacturing them into new products.
Recycling creates four jobs for every one job created in the waste management and disposal industries.
People don't realize how much recycling a small piece of paper or a plastic water bottle could benefit the world.
I miss Urbino, the cafeteria and the big-mouth recycling machine.
I hope someday soon that WSSU gets one of those machines. Not only are they useful but they also can be quite entertaining.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More thenewsargus News Articles
- CAMPUS CREW; What do you think about the new arrangement in the cafeteria?
- Welcome back Ram Family
- ‘Empire’ vs ‘Black-ish’
- A final Look Editor's Column: Leap of faith
Recent thenewsargus News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR THENEWSARGUS
WSSU Rams Head Football Coach Relieved of His Duties By Elijah Richardson
Bennett College Loses Accreditation Despite Raising Sufficient Funds By Elijah Richardson
Smollett Investigation Continues To Be Unsolved and Difficult to Resolve By Elijah Richardson
Lady Rams look to reverse an abysmal 2014-2015 season By Demetrius Dillard
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
LATEST THENEWSARGUS
- Black Business
- WSSU Rams Head Football Coach Relieved of His Duties
- Controversial Wake Forest Tweet Sparks Outrage
- Bennett College Loses Accreditation Despite Raising Sufficient Funds
- Smollett Investigation Continues To Be Unsolved and Difficult to Resolve
- UREC Looks To Continue and Improve Student Engagement Through Physical...
- University Recreation To Hold Personal Training Pilot Study
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
RECENT THENEWSARGUS CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- A Story To Sing About
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- No Child is Forgotten By Marine Toys for Tots
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
- Keeping Cool and Energy-efficient Amid America’s “...
- Addressing Sarcopenia with a Healthy Diet
- Subway’s New Wraps Elevate Eating on the Go
- Family Teacher Conference Topics Beyond Academics
- Youth Take Down Tobacco
- BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads to Kickoff Spring
- Curbing Colorectal Cancer in Minority Populations
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE