Recycling: Easier than you think

MARK SMITH
Senior Writer
seniorwriter@occc.edu

Recycling efforts at OCCC have grown over the past year. However, some people question whether everyone is doing their part.

At lunchtime, students, faculty and others dump their containers, plastic utensils, and napkins into garbage bins.

This is disturbing because there is a recycle container next to one of the garbage receptacles.

The only effort required is for people to remove their recyclables from their tray and place them in the proper container.

In addition, offices, learning labs and other campus divisions use tremendous amounts of paper for printing and copying.

A lot of this is neglectful printing and copying.

By using e-mails to send documents, Internet links, and other items normally printed, paper usage could be reduced significantly.

Students and employees also should only print what they need to print.

When people are finished with their necessary paper documents, they can place it in a recycling bin.

Even confidential papers can be recycled if shredded first.

Recycling is not something to be done only on campus.

Everyone can take part in recycling at home.

Oklahoma City offers blue bins for recycling and free pick up.

Finally, people should keep in mind the mantra reduce, reuse and recycle.

By reducing the amount of goods consumed, there will be less garbage.

People who reuse what they can will find that not only are they helping the environment, but also they are decreasing the amount of money they spend on things.

If an item must be purchased and it cannot be reused, instead buy items that are recyclable and recycle them.

In preparation for America Recycles Day, everyone should take the pledge to help make this world a cleaner place and preserve the fruits of the earth for future generations.