By Tejal Patel

Bottle after bottle is thrown into garbage cans all over the University and along with these bottles go milk cartons, sandwich wrappers and empty fruit cups.

Although the University has had a regular contract with Jamaica Ash, a sorting plant on Long Island, for the pick up of garbage and recyclable materials for over 10 years, students still wonder whether their soda bottles and newspapers really are being recycled.

In the mid 1990s, the University used a different recycling facility that required the use of a separating method. A recycling container was set up next to the garbage cans for bottles and other recyclable materials.

However, this system did not work because it required double the manpower, raised sanitary issues, and attracted insects and other small animals. Now, Jamaica Ash collects all the University’s garbage and sorts it at their plant.

“The University felt that this was the best way to do it,” said Eisa Shukran, Director of Dining Services at Hofstra. “It has satisfied everyone’s concern.” According to the plant department, the University’s garbage and recyclable paper is picked up about two days a week. Each administrative office on campus has a blue recycling bin for white paper. Westbury Paper, a partner company of Jamaica Ash, collects all the recyclable paper, which is then sent to a paper mill.

However, students are still hesitant about throwing recyclable materials into the garbage can.

“I feel bad about throwing my bottles in the garbage, but if Jamaica Ash really does recycle, Hofstra should let their students know that,” said Linh Thoi, a sophomore English major.

Jamaica Ash has employees called “pickers” that take out as many of the recyclable materials from the garbage as they can.

Although it would be easier on the “pickers” if they had a separate recycling facility, said Ken Sillifant, general manager of Jamaica Ash, said, “the reason we do not is that at a lot of facilities different people come in every year and do not always do what they’re told for the first year.” According to Sillifant, it is hard to have a program that is strictly recycling or strictly garbage collecting.

Allowing Jamaica Ash to do the sorting is also a lot easier on students.

“It definitely is a lot easier when you don’t have to think about where to put each piece of garbage,” Daniel Richford, a sophomore physics major, said. Some students who are unsure of Jamaica Ash’s sorting abilities recycle cans and bottles on their own.

“I didn’t know about any other recycling center until this summer when I saw one at Costco,” Rondolf Moreno, a junior mechanical engineering major, said. “Instead of throwing [cans and bottles] away, I decided to recycle them.”

The Jamaica Ash trash dumpster sits next to Estabrook Hall, unnoticed by students.