SAN JOSE, Calif.?In 2004, San Jose State University will be required to divert half of its waste products away from landfills, said Dennis Suit, the grounds and recycling manager for facilities development and operations.
According to Suit, SJSU has almost met the requirements for Assembly Bill 75, which outlines waste-management requirements for all California State University campuses.
Through a variety of programs, SJSU diverted 45.6 percent of its waste from the landfills last semester, Suit said.
However, Suit said he expects the number has increased within the last few months and will continue to increase until 2004.
Assembly Bill 75, passed in 1999, states all California agencies and large state facilities, including CSUs and community colleges, must divert 25 percent of their waste from the landfills through recycling, source reduction and composting by Jan. 1 and 50 percent by Jan. 1, 2004.
According to Deborah Orril, an Integrated Waste Management public information officer, everyone in California has the task to reduce waste, and SJSU appears to be doing its part.
“It looks like (SJSU) is on the right page, diverting more than they’re disposing,” Orril said.
The Integrated Waste Management Board oversees all California landfills and state diversion programs, Orril said.
Assembly Bill 75 also states each facility must adopt an integrated waste management plan and designate a recycling coordinator to oversee the new requirements.
SJSU’s new recycling coordinator is Raj Lathigar.
According to Lathigar, before Assembly Bill 75 was passed, facilities development and operations only had control over the parts of campus that were state-run, such as classroom and faculty buildings, but not housing or Spartan Shops.
However, Lathigar said, once the bill went into effect, facilities development and operation was put in charge of keeping track of waste management for the entire campus.
Currently, housing has the lowest waste diversion numbers, which decreases the overall campus waste diversion rates, Lathigar said. Last semester, housing reported about 13 percent of its waste was diverted from the landfill, Lathigar said.