Green programs are  becoming essential to preserve the environment, especially with the vast amount of technology available. When electronics break down, they can have devastating effects on the environment if thrown away.

The UTSA Surplus Property department is in charge of handling all of UTSA’s unneeded property, such as broken computers and printers. They’re doing their part to maintain a clean environment by properly disposing of UTSA’s electronic waste.

“We maintain an effective and fair system of surplus property control by complying with university, state and federal regulations,” states the department’s mission statement.
Property brought to the surplus property department that is not going to be reused at the university is then recycled or transferred to another department to be disposed of properly.
“We’re required to send that off to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Recovery Program,” Jon Mosel, UTSA’s capital assets manager, said.

“They’ve got a program where they refurbish the data processing equipment and computer equipment and then they make it available to the school districts.”
UTSA’s surplus property department also offers another means of disposing of electronic equipment.

“Any other equipment we have that might fall into that electronic category, if we can’t reuse it at the university, and it doesn’t go to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice by the state rules, it will probably be sold at auction,” Mosel said.

“So nothing ever gets thrown away. Nothing ever goes into the dumpster or anything like that,” Mosel assured.

The Green Society, a UTSA student organization, is an environmental club on campus “focused on both political activism and local community service,” according to Mosel.
“We hope to provide students who are interested in environmental issues with a space to develop and express their passion,” senior Cathy Bass, president of The Green Society, said.

So what does The Green Society think of UTSA’s electronic waste procedures?
“UTSA has a responsible electronic waste disposal policy,” Bass said. “Ensuring that electronics we no longer need go to those who can use them or are recycled minimizes our campus’s environmental impact. I am particularly pleased that some of our e-waste ends up going to local school districts.”

 Bass also offers some advice for UTSA to further improve its electronic waste disposal process.

“Opening up e-waste recycling programs to students, faculty and staff should be the next step in improving UTSA’s e-waste disposal policy,” Bass said.

 “E-waste disposal is often confusing and time-consuming, and it would be nice to see the university take further steps in helping the UTSA community out with this process.”
For students who need to dispose of their unwanted electronics, Bass suggests checking with retailers, such as Best Buy and FedEx, because many of them have recycling programs.

“For more information or to check out other locations at which to drop off your unwanted electronics, check out http://www.texastakeback.com, an e-waste recycling guide for Texans,” Bass said.

To access the UTSA surplus property department’s auction site, visit www.utsa.edu/surplus/auction.htm.

For more information on The Green Society, e-mail greensocietyutsa@yahoo.com or check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

The Green Society meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Chicano Room,  UC 2.01.40.