by Shannon Hutcherson
Assistant yeardisc editor
Recycling is something that has been a hit and miss scenario on campus here at Southeastern the past couple of years. In the fall of 2011, a renaissance of sorts began as recycling seemed to spread across campus.
This new effort is spearheaded by the campus Sustainability Committee with optional participation from organizations and offices across campus. I help out in this effort on behalf of an organization that I belong to that happens to handle the recycling in the Morrison building.
When I went to put bins in the Morrison building, I had several individuals “wish me luck” since the recycling effort had apparently flopped on campus before due to lack of use. Nowadays, this same lack of participation is happening, but is also compounded with a lack of promotion of its use.
Recycling is a great resource here on campus and students, faculty and staff need to take advantage of it. But at the same time, recycling needs to be promoted more and students, faculty and staff need to know where bins and drop off locations are in order to better use this service and cut down on waste.
I see students throw tests, blank pieces of paper, empty soda cans and plastic bottles away all the time and I never see notifications of recycling locations in most of the buildings on campus even when there is a recycling bin close by.
How can students recycle if they don’t know where to put that test they bombed? The trash can is where, since advertising and promotion for this recycling service is lacking.
I haven’t received an email about recycling this semester. The only reason I even know that it takes place is that an organization that I am involved in monitors the recycling in one building here on campus. Since this new endeavor was started by the campus Sustainability Committee, promotion has gone down.
I’ve told students where they can put recycling products if they are in the Morrison Building, and my organization even had flyers up at one time. Even with this effort, recycling has been steadily declining. Recycling should never be treated as a seasonal fad and should be seen as a constant endeavor.
With the way recycling currently stands, it is up to each office to furnish the recycling bin of some sort and this is only optional. On their own time, organizations and individuals take the recycling to the Physical Plant.
If people don’t take part, the effort is wasted. The university should supply recycling bins and offices, organizations, and individuals should deliver the recycling to the Physical Plant. Everyone needs to take part.
This campus belongs to the student body, faculty and staff alike. Students need to partner with the campus to see this endeavor through. Everyone needs to stand up and take care of the campus that they call home.
Students have the right to know where they can recycle and to have this information communicated to them on a regular basis, not just once in a blue moon. This, to me, is absolute.
There are a few obvious ways to improve the recycling effort on campus.
For instance, there should be a list of offices and locations published and posted across campus and regularly sent out through email.
Another way is word of mouth. If you let people know where they can recycle, that would help the efforts of the few people who actively engage in greener living. Honestly, any promotion is better than the lack of promotion plaguing the campus.