Each day on campus, 9,000 pounds of waste is produced. Have you noticed a few new things that have appeared around the campus, specifically the Morgan University Center, Sunquist Science Center and the library? That’s because some new recycling bins have been made. Thanks to this idea by APSU’s Sustainability Coordinator, Haley Randell, recycling around the campus has become easier, organized and environment-friendly. These recycling bins have different colors and labels to them as to what items should be recycled. The recycle bins are labeled as followed: Aluminum cans, paper, plastic bottles and landfill, all with their own individual colors to label them. Randell has bought the bins and the signage for them. She made the concept of “multi-streams” for the bins so each recyclable items such as paper, plastic or aluminum have their own bins to be put in.

“We want to recycle in any way that it can make it easier.” And so far, it has worked really well as these bins have been getting plenty of good responses from students. Wells said that we as a college have “come a long way over the past ten years in making the campus more eco-conscious and sustainable,” Alexandra Wills, the Director for the Center Service of Learning and Community Engagement said.

Last April, Randell and the Sustainability committee measured how much waste was produced on campus, and the estimated amount was around 9,000 pounds per day of trash on campus. With that amount of waste being produced, it is honestly a great thing that we now have these new recycling bins, they are not only environment-friendly but also very organized with how they can be used.

The purpose of this project by Randell is to have each building around the campus to have their own recycle bins. She has also stated that all of the dorms around the campus have their own recycle bins so that the students know where to go to recycle their waste.

During the Involvement Fair on Aug. 29, Stephanie Paradise, who is with The Loft College Ministry at First Baptist said, “It provides students with an opportunity to take care of the environment.”

Not only are they beneficial to the environment, but they are also very easy and very organized for use. As of now, at least 30 of these recycling bins in total have been spread across the campus, with most of them being in the MUC campus library and the Sunquist Science Center, with more to come and be spread throughout more of the campus in the future.

So far these bins have been gaining quite a bit of popularity and awareness since they have been placed around the campus. Many students have been putting these bins to good use, with a lot of positive responses including how well put and organized this idea for the bins have been. These bins are the beginning of a new chapter for APSU in regards to new ways of providing help towards the environment.