For some, throwing that heavy stack of old term papers, endless study guides, and neglected notes into the trash comes with a small tinge of guilt—a tinge, that’s not quite heavy enough to compel the effort of walking all the way to the nearest recycling bin (wherever it may be) to allow these papers a chance to be reused again.
College students have so much to keep track of as it is. If classes aren’t enough, there are extracurriculars, internships, and part-time jobs to constantly keep in mind. So with all of that to deal with, why add recycling to the long list?
Because it’s an easy way to reduce College Park’s environmental footprint. Many people don’t realize the huge impact that the simple practice of recycling can have on the entire world. Making the smallest changes in how you dispose of waste can seriously make the biggest difference.
The key to it all is to be educated about how and what to recycle. Many students don’t do it simply because they don’t know what to do. “Start recycling regularly—and successfully—and you’ll begin thinking a bit more about your impact on earth,” according to Brian Walsh of Time.com. With these helpful tips, recycling will become an easy, everyday habit.
For those that live in campus residence halls, recycling is as effortless as walking a few steps down the hall and disposing of those empty bottles and cans in one of the many unmistakable green bins that line the walls.
For students who live in apartments and homes around campus, recycling may require a little more forethought. Designate a specific bin for recyclables. Choose a fun color to differentiate it from the trashcan. Once the specified recycling bin has been chosen, place it right next to the trashcan (so there are no excuses for why recyclables weren’t able to reach their designated bin).
Now the important part is to understand what to recycle. Of course, paper is something that should always be recycled. That includes newspaper as well. “There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S. Of these, 44 million, or about 69% of them will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week,” according to 50waystohelp.com.
Also according to this site, glass is a valuable resource to recycle. If it is not recycled, it can take a million years to decompose. So why not throw that wine bottle into a blue bin so it can one day serve another purpose.
According to the College Park Committee for a Better Environment, other items that can be recycled by this city are: unwanted wire hangers, aluminum cans, paperback books, hardback books with covers removed, steel or tin-plated food and drink cans.
Making this conscious and simple effort to put recyclable materials into their proper receptacle bin can literally make the world of a difference. It can slow the pile-up of waste in landfills, lengthen the life of natural resources, and of course, ultimately sustain the environment.