The Crow's Nest

Kevin Cartmill is obsessed, and that’s a good thing for USF St. Petersburg.

Walking around campus with Cartmill, the custodial superintendent, it becomes obvious how his love for the environment makes USFSP a better place.

Without him, the university likely wouldn’t have a recycling program. He’s a one-man recycling machine, making sure each building has recycling containers and that the bins in each office are emptied daily. He spends hours on his computer researching chemicals to make sure that USFSP uses the greenest and most economical ones he can get his hands on.

Not only does he watch waste with an eagle eye, but he seems to know everyone on campus. There’s not a person he walks or rides his golf cart by that he doesn’t have a “hello” or a smile for. And he is always offering help and guidance to his colleagues, even on the weekends.

“I think it’s important, especially for a college campus, that we do the best we can for future generations. The carbon footprint we leave is what they have to deal with- and that’s what’s important to me,” Cartmill, 62, said.

Five years ago, when a group of students from Residence Hall One approached him about re-vamping a barely present recycling program, Cartmill called Waste Services Inc. The challenge was that the custodial department had no budget for recycling— a service that can be very expensive for institutions. Cartmill made arrangements with WSI despite the budget constraints.

“They jumped on board and helped us in every way they could,” Cartmill said.

Since 2008, WSI has picked up all the university’s recycling for free in exchange for cardboard waste. WSI is able to sell the cardboard waste for a profit, 20 percent of which they donate to the Ronald McDonald House charity.

The recycling initiative implemented by USFSP students and Cartmill also saves the university money. According to Cartmill, it costs the university about $80 every time a dumpster is unloaded. The two dumpsters outside of the USC building are emptied five times a week, so it costs the university around $800 per week to dispose of trash from one building alone. The more the university recycles, the less it pays to have trash hauled away.

According to the Pinellas County Utilities website, over 75 percent of trash in the county could be recycled. Cartmill estimates that USFSP currently has around 35 percent recycling rate and he admits there’s room for improvement.

“We have a zero budget [for recycling] as you know, and that makes it tough. Luckily student government has supported our efforts,” said Cartmill.

Lauren Reilly, the director of Sustainable Initiatives for Student Government, recently submitted a proposal for 20 new recycling bins that will be located outside of main buildings on campus. Under Cartmill’s leadership, the custodial department is working closely with SG to increase recycling turnout. As a requirement for funding the new bins, the volume of recycling will be monitored for one year. Cartmill hopes the new bins will increase recycling turnout to 45% within one year.

Recycling on campus is important, but Cartmill wants staff and students to know that they can drop off their home recycling here too. Home recycling can be placed into any of the twenty 96-gallon recycling containers can be found behind the Piano Man building.

Cartmill is always looking for ways to improve and do things more sustainably. He organizes the collection of batteries and electronic waste which are picked up by contracted companies that reuse, recycle, or resell everything they pick up.