The Daily Campus

Issue date: 8/28/08 Section: Commentary

In an effort to encourage students to "go green" and actively try to save the environment, ResLife has placed reusable recycling bags in the dorm rooms around campus. The bags are made of a strong material that appears to be fairly leak-proof and they are easy to store.

This not only encourages students to recycle their Powerade bottles, but also allows those under the legal drinking age to discreetly and properly dispose of their empty bottles.

In the past, students who were afraid of being documented by their CAs neglected to recycle their empty cans and bottles, instead tossing them into the bottom of the garbage. Now, students don't have to tote their six-packs and handles of alcohol to the trash room.

There is more of a chance that students will recycle if there is a receptacle in their room. More importantly, if they get in the habit of recycling in college, students may be more likely to stick to that pattern in adulthood.

"It is a good way to save the planet without leaving your room," said Zach Shapiro, a 3rd-semester civil engineering major. "Anyone who wants a place to live 50 years from now will use it."

While this does encourage recycling, and alcohol bottles may be included in the items recycled, it does not encourage underage drinking. Students will do what they want and find their own means to the end of disposing of alcohol bottles whether they bury them in the depths of their trash can or toss them out a window, so the reusable bags are a smart alternative. ResLife may not have acknowledged this benefit, but if students do use them for alcohol, the bags could possibly have a positive impact if - students actually use them.

Now there is no excuse for students not to recycle. It is the same as having two garbage cans in a dorm room; there is no extra work involved. It is also easier than a trash can to empty and it is less messy. Think of recycling as passing down hand-me-downs. The Budweiser bottles that students are drinking from this weekend could be made into goblets, tumblers or even vases that their children and grandchildren can use years from now.

Earth is not home to endless resources. Everything is a cycle: the food chain, the water cycle and the human race all follow a circle and if it some things just stopped following that cycle, there eventually would be a shortage. If students want everything, including humans, to follow that natural cycle, take the time to recycle.

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