One professor at SUNY Buffalo State is making an investment to clean up man made waste on campus in an attempt to do her part for the college community.

Dr. Bridget M. Chesterton, 44, decided this semester to invest in a TerraCycle “Snack and Candy Wrapper Zero Waste” recycling box for the Classroom Building. Located outside C216, Chesterton’s office, the brown and green box that stands about three-feet tall, with the TerraCycle recycle label on it.

Chesterton says the purpose of the box is to provide a means for students and faculty to dispose of snack and candy waste which will allow the waste to be recycled rather than trashed and disposed of in a landfill, since municipal corporations, such as the City of Buffalo Street and Sanitation Department, will not recycle the wrappers.

TerraCycle is a nonprofit company that works to recycle non-organic human waste filling the void left by municipal recycling.  Their Zero Waste Boxes range from “Snack and Candy Wrapper,” to “Cleaning Supplies and Accessories,” even having an “All in One” receptacles.  The boxes require an initial investment of anywhere from about $50 dollars, to $200, depending on the size and box type. Boxes are purchased online from the TerraCycle website, delivered, and then returned by Federal Express to TerraCycle for recycling.

Chesterton is the purchaser of Buffalo State’s first TerraCycle “Zero Waste Box.” She’s been actively trying to do her part to help strengthen the campus community through student engagement efforts. Last semester The Record reported on Chesterton’s free Tampon Center, which collects donations and helps give women on campus access to tampons and pads.

This semester Chesterton continues her efforts to build the community with her TerraCycle initiative.

“The tampon center got so much respect from the students,” Chesterton said , “when administration was, well shall we say they didn’t have much faith… but’s it not hard to do a small part and make a sense of community.”

Chesterton explained that the enthusiasm of students in her prior effort led her to ask herself how to continue engage the campus community.

“How do I change my corner of the world?” asked Chesterton, “What’s my part to build the community.”

Chesterton said she had notice an excess of snack and candy wrappers around campus, and thought this could be the answer to her question. After researching the problem Chesterton found a possible solution.

The Terracycle Zero Waste Box now sits outside Chesterton’s office for students to utilize. Chesterton said she hopes it will possibly inspire others to spread the initiative throughout the rest of campus.

“It would be really cool to see the effort grow,” said Chesterton, “maybe we might start seeing them in other buildings besides the Classroom Building.”

“People, students, faculty, whoever, I don’t care.  It wouldn’t be hard to get a handful a people together to all pitch $10 dollars and put one in another area, it might help out.”

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