Through my three years here in campus I’ve noticed something that seemed to fade into culture. I would walk around campus and It finish a drink in a plastic bottle or something and after I was done with it, I’d just throw it away. Then when I stay in my dorm, I would have a big pile of trash and I’d just throw it away. But I remember a time when I used to recycle all the time. I used to be specific with the paper and plastics. Then at home I would do the same with recycling. It was easy and simple, but it seems now that recycling takes extra effort on this campus.
Take for example the location of the recycle bins. Every dorm I’ve stayed has had an alternate location for the recycle bins. You would have to go the extra mile by going all the way to the front of the building or all the way to the side of the building in order to recycle. On the other hand, the trash cans are right there in the hallway. I find this to be very odd, because the Recycle bins could share the same space as the trash cans.
There hasn’t been that much voice about recycling. The only major push towards recycling is the new take out system. Basically, the school reuses the takeout trays and gets rid of the disposable foam trays. It is great that the school is making an initiative but the school can make bigger steps to a greener future.
One solution to the recycling draught is to place the recycling bins in convenient places. Moving the recycling bins to where the trash cans are in the residence hall would be a great way to give people the option in the first. Then they could give them more recycle bins outside of the residence halls, so while walking to class the can find a bin nearby to throw their water bottles in. There doesn’t even have to be giant bins outside, they could just have a simple recycling sign on them.
Recycling can also be included into something bigger in the campus community. We don’t have to stop with recycling just plastic bottles, but we could also recycle paper materials as well. There are many buildings like the library and the art building who have already utilized recycling their paper. I believe that any place that uses a lot of paper can apply this method of recycling.
With better access to recycling bins the campus will be a lot cleaner and greener. I believe that once we start taking little steps like these we will gain even more respect for the school we live in. Then we can move onto greater things like cleaning events and maybe even a recycling plant.
