Last week my dorm floor was having the first meeting of the semester. As we went over the door decorations, and the excuses from the fire department as to why we should limit our decorating, we also discussed the regular issues. What finally caught my attention was when our CAs decided that they were going to stop our floor’s paper recycling. The reason: people are using it as a trash can.
Our floor has only one bin for paper, one for plastic and one for aluminum. Worse still, some floors are missing at least one of the above. Earlier this year our school was graded on our sustainability based on how well our school practices recycling and preservation. Our final grade: D.
USD’s problem is the fact that it is too easy not to recycle on campus because it’s inconvenient. Even when our floor is lucky enough to have a recycling bin, we are even luckier if it isn’t full. The bins are taken out once a week for a floor of 75 students. When the bin is full, all the empty bottles and cans will eventually find their way into the garbage. Recycling on campus needs to be made more convenient and available at all times.
Recycling will never become a habit without incentive. South Dakota is not a very polluted state. The landfills are not over flowing, and the smog levels are minimal; but if we keep the mentality that it will always be this way, we will be in for a surprise.
In 1995, Americans generated about 208 million tons of garbage waste; then, when the same poll was taken in 2007, that number rose to 254 million tons. It’s estimated that the average American produces 5 pounds of trash per day; and according to EPA estimates, we could recycle as much as 75 percent of that trash.
Americans are recycling more than ever before; Americans are recycling an average of 33 percent of our daily garbage, and we’re actually recycling more, but this also makes us feel less guilty about piling up garbage.
According to William Rathje, Ph.D. garbologist at Stanford University, ‘People who recycle tend to feel like they’ve done their part, so they can buy whatever they want. So we are buying and using and throwing away more stuff, and doing that faster than we’re increasing recycling.’ For recycling it goes both ways, not only is it important for everyone to dispose of their paper, plastic and glass properly, it is important to shop correctly as well.
By the end of our floor meeting we eventually decided to keep the paper recycling in hopes that it will be used properly and frequently. Eventually it would be nice to see multiple bins placed on all floors that are habitually emptied and used. USD has a long way to go, but the school has the potential to be recognized for sustainability practices.
Reach columnist Annie Brown at Ann.Brown@usd.edu.
