“R-E-C-Y-C-L-E, it begins with you and me!” Whenever recycling is mentioned within earshot, there’s usually a 50 percent or so chance that this tune, which comes from a series of commercials directed towards kids and is sung to the tune of Aretha Franklin’s classic song “Respect,” will go through my head.

Growing up, commercials like this were some of the few sources available to teach my friends and me how to recycle properly and why it is important. When it came to recycling, my peers and I, at a young age, were given the most basic of whys and hows: “paper and plastic, because it helps the environment!” I am ashamed nowadays to think about how much recyclable material younger me tossed in the trash because he didn’t know better. 

Now that I’ve grown older and moved on to such a large, modern university, I expected a stronger recycling-related message. Thankfully, my expectations were met, because the push for environmental conservation here at NC State is much stronger than anything we had back in my small hometown.

However, the problem still exists. So much trash is generated every year, and much of what makes up the average landfill could’ve been recycled. The EPA reported that over 130 million tons of garbage were tossed in landfills in 2014, and there is a good chance that a lot of that could have been recycled.

Some argue that a large percentage of that outrageous number is due to inaccessibility to means of recycling for some people, and while this may be true, it is safe to say that a lack of an environmental drive in our country is a major factor too. It’s not just about whether or not the capability to recycle exists, it’s also about the initiative to do so. 

For starters, companies don’t exactly help with the process. On many products, trying to find the recycling number is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Furthermore, at least from my perspective, the overall movement to increase public knowledge about recycling has not grown as much as one would hope.

Still, it is important to address the state of recycling information on NC State’s campus. There is a lot being done right now to spread recycling information and make it an easy and convenient process, but each of these good things could be made even better.

For example, wherever you find a trash can, there’s usually a good chance that it’s accompanied by at least one recycling bin as well. However, there are still some trash cans on campus without any adjacent recycling bins, and while each bin is clearly labeled, they still all look alike from far away.

The best solution would be to color each bin differently with a universal color scheme across campus, or to give each type of bin a very visible and distinguishable feature or symbol so they may be clearly identifiable. While color changes or symbols may seem like small changes, they could definitely go a long way to make recycling on campus an extremely easy and convenient process.

In addition, these bins are oftentimes marked with a chart that designates what goes where. You can find similar charts and other recycling information on the NC State Waste Reduction and Recycling webpage. However, these lists are not nearly as comprehensive as they could be. The lists are still too vague to incorporate all the everyday objects that people are throwing away or improperly recycling every day. More comprehensive lists would not only ensure that trash is properly thrown away or recycled in that one specific instance, but also cement in the individual’s mind what can be done with that object in the future.

NC State has made a great effort to try to make their campus as green as possible through environmental activism and information, but even more could be done. More events and activities, like the Great STATE Clean Up, being held this Saturday on campus, should be held regularly in order to get students involved in recycling. The more exposure the merrier, and I would love to see enthusiasm for recycling and conservation become an even more essential aspect of NC State’s identity.

Also, more feedback on the impact of NC State’s recycling efforts should be provided. Although the NC State Sustainability website does state that NC State avoids dumping 49 percent of its garbage in landfills annually, I wish even more statistics were provided. We should be informed about what kinds of material are the most recycled, what kinds are the least and what kinds are most often thrown away when they could be recycled.

Some may think that all of this is too much effort over whether or not a couple of cans end up in pile A or pile B. But it’s so much more than that. Just one environmentally conscious NC State student can have an enormous impact, and if more steps are taken to improve conservation awareness, then we could have an entire campus striving to make the future a greener and cleaner place; not just for us, but for future generations as well.