by Cecilia Pham
News Writer
As the spring semester comes to a close, many university students have apparently forgotten that April 22 is Earth Day.
Big, blue recycling bins, and benches bought with money saved from recycled products remind the University of Houston to be earth-friendly. Still, many students said they don't go out of their way to recycle.
"I used to have a recycling bin outside my office and I would use it every day,'" said sophomore political science major Tina Nguyen. "Then one day they moved it and the closest one was around the corner from me. I just basically said, 'I'm not going to walk way over there just to recycle.'"
Some students said they would recycle more if there were more recycling units around campus.
"We need more recycling bins outside and not just in the offices," Nguyen said. "I think that convenience is the key. If people see them then they are more likely to recycle. For example, I honestly don't remember seeing one around the UC."
The UH physical plant placed six test-recycling bins outside but found that many students were using them as trash receptacles instead. UH recycling coordinator Frank W. Colson decided the bins were to be placed only in buildings and not outside.
"Because of our environment we live in today we can't get a man to pick out trash that might expose him to health hazards," Colson said.
The larger recycling bins are purchased by each of the colleges for $180 from the recycling center on UH campus, which buys them in an allotment, and the small bins are given free. The price of the large recycling bins are negotiable depending on how much the college can pay.
"Our goal is to put (a small bin) at every individual person's desk for two reasons, the first being that individuals become part of the recycling effort and, second, it helps the custodial staff," Colson said. "If everyone is using their small bins then they are buying into the system and they'll be able to say, 'Hey that's not too bad (to recycle).'"
The political science department bought into the recycling system, and Colson said he hopes all the other departments will too, if they are not doing so now.
"We recycle everything we can," said political science office assistant Barbara Simon. "In each of our faculty offices there is a recycling bin. How hard is (recycling), really? It's not hard at all."
The future of the recycling program might include a larger recycling facility within the confines of the university.
"We have visited the City of Bellaire's community recycling center because we want to pattern our facility after Bellaire's," Colson said. "We have also talked to the City of Houston about it, but so far the city has discouraged us from (building our own facility) because they have already spent a lot of money for equipment and facilities that are near us."
Some students, even those who were not involved in recycling, said they felt recycling is important.
"I went to the University of Monterrey, Mexico, a few months ago and they had recycling bins for paper, plastic, tin and mix things. The campus was beautiful and even cleaner than UH's (campus), but once you left the university the city was ugly and dirty. Recycling really made a difference on their campus," Nguyen said.