The University of Mississippi wants to make recycling one of its top priorities in going green, but students say the campus does not reflect Ole Miss’s recycling priority.
Many students believe they would recycle; however, a lack of convenience and awareness keep many from following through.
“The campus made it seem like they were really going green, but I haven’t seen it,” Ginny Broyles, a junior English major from Shreveport, said.
Broyles said she recycles whenever she sees the recycling bins, but most of the time, the bin is not conveniently placed.
Senior journalism major from Tupelo Cadley Burns said he has seen more recycling bins around campus than in previous years, but generally, he is unaware of their locations.
The university purchased 20 new recycling bins before the presidential debate. The 42-gallon bins are placed outside major buildings, such as the Student Union and Bishop Hall and are emptied by a member of the physical plant.
The bins have two openings, one for plastics and cans and the other for paper, but despite the addition of the 20 bins, students say the most important place for bins is by classrooms and garbage cans.
Sitting in the Union cafeteria, Jordan Watson said he does not recycle because he never comes across any recycling bins.
“We just have regular trash cans everywhere,” he said.
Some materials used in the dining areas on campus are recyclable, but other than paper receptacles, the Student Union and the Paul B. Johnson Commons dining areas have no recycling bins placed by their normal garbage cans.
Part of the university’s recycling program draws some comparison to the recently implemented curbside recycling program of the city.
The curbside recycling program offers individuals or families an opportunity to recycle. The person or individual merely registers with the city, the city gives them recycling bins for an optional fee of $12 and once the bins are full, the city comes by to pick up the bins that are set by the road by the individual or family.
The university’s paper recycling program is somewhat similar. Academic buildings are equipped with paper recycling bins, Assistant Director of the Physical Plant Scott Steen said in a previous interview. Once the bins are full, an individual within the building sets out the bin and the physical plant comes by to pick up the paper and transports it to be recycled, he said.
The university’s program for recycling plastics and aluminum draws a smaller comparison, though.
Faculty members within the university have been providing an opportunity for buildings and groups on campus that wish to recycle. The staff council offers free cardboard recycling containers to any group who wishes to take advantage of Oxford’s recycling facilities.
However, because of a lack of staff, the responsibility of maintaining the bins and transporting the materials to the recycling bin behind Fulton Chapel falls to an individual within the building or group, recycling committee member of the staff council Benita Whitehorn said in a previous interview.
“This green initiative is going on, but for recycling right now, we just have volunteers,” she said.
Originally, the staff council’s recycling containers for plastics and aluminum were in four buildings, the Lyceum, the J.D. Williams Library and Martindale and Bishop halls. The program has expanded to include 14 buildings, with people from each building volunteering time to collect, sort, clean and transport the materials to the campus’ recycling bin.
The white recycling bins can sometimes be seen by building doors or in computer labs, but not all buildings are equipped with the bins.
“I just wish there were more (bins) around campus. It doesn’t seem like there are enough,” Samia Nazir said.
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