Late in the evening and early into the morning, when only raccoons and the occasional badger roam the UW-Madison campus, the Waste and Recycling night crew makes its rounds.
The four-person staff begins its eight-hour shift at midnight and picks up recycling and trash left outside buildings, while from 4:00 a.m. until noon, two employees traverse across the university, emptying its 275 wastebaskets.
\At night, they collect from buildings that don't have dumpsters, so they do a curbside program for some of the central campus buildings,"" Environmental Management Coordinator Daniel Einstein said.
Unlike other national research universities, UW-Madison is relatively free from large dumpsters because of environmental initiatives and subsequent legislation mandating the segregation of recyclable materials.
""When I got here, they tossed everything [in one dumpster],"" Night Supervisor of Waste and Recycling Dave Grueneberg said. ""Recycling wasn't even heard of.""
After fielding requests from former UW-Madison Chancellor Donna Shalala and others, former Physical Plant administrators Jack Wermuth and Gary Beck devised an innovative rubbish pickup program. Their collaboration led to the creation of the night collection service using modified, one-ton pickup trucks.
Typically, according to Head Supervisor of Waste and Recycling Pete Lowery, the department aims to recycle 30 to 35 percent of all trash. Seasonal factors may impact garbage composition and ratios, however. For example, during final exam periods, Grueneberg reports a significant increase in the number of aluminum cans disposed.
""I would say we have one of the best [university] recycling programs,"" Grueneberg said.
The late night crew's work is not without its perils. Before cleanup of needles was contracted to a private company, a Waste and Recycling employee's finger was punctured by a medical syringe hidden among office papers.
On a separate occasion, following the 1997 Halloween holiday, a UW-Madison student was critically injured after falling down a Witte Hall trash chute and was discovered by a University Housing custodial employee. According to police reports, the trash likely cushioned the student's impact. Grueneberg has also received phone calls from distressed students and faculty who have inadvertently discarded research.
""A lot of times we'll get calls that a project got thrown away, and we'll dump the truck,"" Grueneberg said.
Lowery applauded the UW-Madison custodial staff's efforts in the recycling process. Lowery was also grateful to student groups who had recently engaged in litter pickups.
""I'm proud of the difference we make; you know you're helping by recycling,"" Lowery said.
