Until this year, the Whitman Recycling Center, located on Merriam Street, behind the Environmental Studies House (“the Outhouse”), served as a collection center for the city of Walla Walla. City residents were able to bring their recyclables to the center to be processed and then transported to the Walla Walla Recycling.

However, as the number of community members using the Recycling Center’s services increased, the college was forced to re-evaluate the Center’s role in the community.

“We have a limited sized facility and we’ve been generating about 350,000 pounds of material a year. About half of that comes from the outside community,” said Whitman Recycling Coordinator Bob Biles.

According to Biles, the Recycling Center became too much of an “eye-sore” for the surrounding residential community.

“Our options to rectify the situation were to increase the size of the facility, to hire more labor to handle the products faster, or to eliminate some of the facility’s users,” said Biles.

The college decided to go with the latter, and this fall, the Recycling Center officially closed to the Walla Walla public. Community residents have been directed to take their recyclables to the Walla Walla Recycling facility.

The Recycling Center is currently under remodel, and completion is expected for the end of the 2008 fall semester. New fencing, gates, and signage have been installed with the intention of making the facility more presentable to the neighboring residences.

Its hours have also changed. It is now open to all members of the Whitman community –– students, staff, and faculty –– from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Monday through Friday.