Over the past three decades, approximately one-third of the planet's natural resources have been consumed.¹ The United States accounts for 5 percent of the world's population but consumes 30 percent of total global resources and creates 30 percent of the world's waste.² For every trash-filled garbage can placed on the curb, 70 garbage cans of waste were produced in the manufacturing of the stuff in your one trash can.³

MCC is committed to doing more and using less. By reducing our consumption of natural resources, using and reusing durable goods and recycling products at the end of their useful lives, we can ensure that future generations will have the resources they need for quality standards of living. MCC is doing its part to rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle the materials and resources necessary for the deliverance of a top-quality education while minimizing our impact on the environment.

What Is MCC Doing?

• Reduce
  • Applied Technology labs minimize waste through reduce and reuse best practices, as well as recycling leftover materials where possible. Our Auto Collision Technology program, for example, cleans and reuses paint solvent to reduce the volume of toxic chemicals entering the waste stream and reducing expenditures associated with the purchase of new materials.
  • MCC encourages the use of reusable mugs and tableware for meetings.
  • Collegewide paper use reduction strategies include default double-sided printing and copying; encouraging the use of digital documents over hard-copy; and moving to appropriate digital marketing and PR strategies while reducing the quantity of printed materials.
• Reuse
  • Central storage reuses office furniture and products by transplanting unutilized items from one department to another one where they are needed.
  • Applied Technology labs reuse otherwise wasteful building and automotive materials as teaching tools in the classroom.
  • MCC's Facilities Department mulches grass clippings to return nutrients to the soil, reducing the need for fertilizers and water.
• Recycle
  • MCC uses single-stream recycling to divert more than one ton of recyclable material each month from going to the landfill.
• Purchasing
  • MCC supports the purchase of environmentally and socially responsible materials and products.

Resources

• Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc.
  Working with businesses, residents and community groups, Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to litter reduction, beautification and education on solid waste issues. For more information, visit www.keepomahabeautiful.org.
• Under the Sink – Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
  Open to Douglas and Sarpy County residents only, Under the Sink is a facility that stores hazardous household materials such as paint thinner, lawn chemicals, drain cleaner, pesticides, etc. until they can be picked up and properly recycled or disposed of by a separate waste disposal facility. To learn how Under the Sink can take harmful chemicals off your hands, visit www.underthesink.org.
• Wasteline
  Wasteline is Omaha's primary organization for the collection and disposal of garbage, recyclable materials and yard waste. For drop-off locations, recycling tips, collection schedule and other information, visit www.wasteline.org.

References

¹ Hawken, P., Lovins, A. & Lovins, L. H. (1999). Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
² Miller, G. T. (1998). Living in the Environment. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co.
³ Young, J. E., & Sachs, A., (1994). The Next Efficiency Revolution: Creating a Sustainable Materials Economy. World Watch Paper, 20(4): 285-286.