CFCC Sustainability Committee

Tour of UNCW Recycling Center

The CFCC Sustainability Committee took a tour of the UNCW Recycling Center on Thursday, February 29th, 2024.  For more pictures from the tour, visit the minutes.

Tour of New CFCC Health and Human Services Building

The CFCC Sustainability Committee took a tour of the new HHS building on Thursday, February 1st, 2024.  For more pictures from the tour, visit the minutes.

Outdoor Kitchen Dedicated

On June 2nd, 2023 the Willowdale Urban Farm on 30th Street & Princess Place Drive welcomed a new addition.  The outdoor kitchen was the brainchild of two CFCC Sustainability Technologies students.  Under the supervision of Program Director, John Wojciechowski, plumbing and electrical were run to a U-shaped countertop to assist the community utilizing the farm for cleaning produce and preparing meals.

CFCC Day @ the Arboretum

The CFCC Sustainability Committee and other interested folks visited the NHC Arboretum.  The visit included instruction on proper planting of a tree, a tour of the stormwater system, and an overview of other sustainability initiatives at the Arboretum.  For a detailed report, visit our committee minutes for February 22nd, 2023.  Thanks again to our tour guides: Casey Shotton, Matt Collogan, Kevin Cassel, Amy Mead, and Kat Pohlman!

New Hanover County Recycling Center Visit

The CFCC Sustainability Committee visited the New Hanover County Recycling Center at 3002 US-421, Wilmington, NC 28401 on Thursday, October 20th, 2022.  Joe Suleyman, Director of NHC Recycling & Solid Waste, coordinated our tour which was led by representatives from Sonoco Recycling, Gus, Drake, and Kevin.  The committee extends a big "thank you" for being so generous with your time.

The NHC Recycling Center collects and sorts various recyclable items and then ships these items to other processing locations.  We weren't allowed to take any video of our tour, but here's a video of a similar process from another community: https://youtu.be/M5nmNKVNCBw 

Some key take-aways from our tour:

• Do NOT place items with lithium ion batteries into your normal recycling bins.  These batteries can be found in most technology (computer, household appliances, etc.) and can cause fires when sent through the recycling sorting process.  Lithium ion batteries by themselves can be safely recycled in designated battery recycling fixtures and when located within equipment, can be safely recycled in designated eWaste recycling fixtures.  CFCC has both battery and eWaste recycling fixtures in various common areas of the North and Wilmington campuses.
• Do NOT place plastic bags in your normal recycling bins.  Most grocery stores have designated areas to capture used plastic bags.  It is also NOT recommended to bag your household recyclables--keep them loose in your curbside bin or take them out of the bag if you drop them off.
• Anything smaller than a post-it note CANNOT be properly recycled due to its size.  Shredded paper should be included in "shredding day" campaigns to keep it seperate from usual paper recycling.  When possible, keep caps/lids attached to bottles and cans. 

Earth Day

CFCC is celebrating Earth Day on Thursday, April 21st in the Union Station Lobby from 11am - 1pm.  The CFCC Sustainability Committee will be tabling along with Plastic Ocean Project, Southern Forest Conservation Coalition, and the Student Government Association. 

CFCC Sustainability Night

A nice summary of our first CFCC Sustainability Night!  https://www.goseadevils.com/sports/wbkb/2021-22/releases/20220203erheej

CFCC Adopt-a-Highway Roadside Cleanup

Cape Fear Community College will participate in the N.C. Department of Transportation Adopt-a-Highway roadside cleanup program. CFCC will be responsible for MLK Parkway, from 23rd to 3rd Street, and will participate in a road cleanup once a month.  Cleanups are usually on a Saturday between 9am - 11am.

The sign-up sheet will be located in CFCC’s Veterans Center on the Wilmington Campus (U-124) and North Campus (NB-200), as well as the admissions window.  You can also sign-up online.

Please take a few minutes to watch the informational video for more details regarding the cleanup or email Veterans Affairs Coordinator Jason Bocchino at jabocchino946@mail.cfcc.edu.
https://vimeo.com/524319425/ab4eccfe23

Electronics Recycling

If it's got a plug--you can recycle it!  Computer/phones/cords and other household electronics can be dropped of at any of our electronic recycling fixtures.  They are located at the Union Station Building (across from Port City Java), the S-building lobby (near the elevators), and on the North Campus in the McKeithan Center lobby.

If you are worried about leaving behind any of your personal info on an electronic device, bring it to the IT Help Desk (G-building or McKeithan Center) and have them take a look.

Marker Recycling

CFCC is now recycling used dry erase markers, permanent markers, all types of pens, mechanical pencils, and highlighters. Drop them off at either the Wilmington or North Campus Libraries.

Battery Recycling

From February 2024 to June 2024, CFCC recycled 95 pounds of batteries!  Since we started battery recycling in Fall 2014, CFCC has recycled a grand total of 2,225 pounds.

You can find battery recycling fixtures on the Wilmington Campus: Library, S-building Second Floor Lobby, A-building Lobby, Union Station (beside the Port City Java), Wilson Center (beside the doors to the Studio Theater), P-building (maintenance/custodial) and on the North Campus: Library, NB building hallway, ND building First Floor Lobby and the NE building lobby.

So, got some batteries rolling around in a desk drawer?  Drop them off and keep them out of the landfill!

New Recycling Fixtures

In partnership with New Hanover County Environmental Management, CFCC has added 18 new multisort recycling fixtures on the Wilmington Campus, North Campus, Burgaw Center, and Surf City Center!

All recycling is commingled, so you can place paper/plastic/cans in ANY blue bin you find on campus.

CFCC EarthFest

EarthFest was held on Wednesday, April 17th from 11am – 2pm in the Amphitheater located behind Union Station. The Sustainability Committee reserved a table and placed signage (including a brand new table sign that we can use for future events) and had one of our new multisort recycling fixtures placed beside the table. EarthFest was well attended by students, faculty, and staff. The table also promoted VHS recycling in the library on Monday nights along with a live demo of VHS recycling.

Next public meeting:

Questions?  Email Sustainability Committee Chair, Jacob Deininger: jdeininger@cfcc.edu

All film screenings will be in the CFCC International Center (L-221).  Bring your lunch and learn about sustainability!

How much land area does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this quiz to find out your Ecological Footprint, discover your biggest areas of resource consumption, and learn what you can do to tread more lightly on the earth.

OTHER CALCULATORS

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