Plattsburgh State: Pop Bottle Paradise

Although recycling isn't a new concept, its importance is still being marginalized.

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SPRING 2002

I guess I'm a tree-hugging, granola-munching, rainforest-saving, far- too-liberal-minded hippie. O.K....I reuse Mountain Dew bottles and mayonnaise containers for the purpose of self-hydration. My roommates laugh and call me names. But does this deserve ridicule?

When I first moved from Vermont to New York, I felt like an outsider. I found myself immersed in a new culture whose customs were much different than my own.

I was surprised at how different things could be just on the other side of the lake. Hailing from a state well known for its gay marriages and political pot stirring, I was raised with certain values, however off kilter they might be. So, I came to Plattsburgh State University eager to recycle my trash.

When I finished lunch, I could never find an environmentally friendly way to get rid of my juice bottle. Finally, I tracked down a few sets of recycling bins outside the dining hall, in the Angell College Center.

.So, I have to walk a short distance to recycle. I don't mind working for a good cause, but for some, the extra effort it takes to carry trash out to the crowded hallway makes recycling an unattractive option.

Everywhere I turn, I see potentially recyclable goods being cast away into that all-perfect, eternal solution--the trash can. Cases upon cases of empty beer bottles get tossed away every weekend in the dorms. Empty water bottles overflow the trash on hot spring days. When students vacate for the summer, the carpets they leave behind head straight to the dumpster.

A recycling box sits empty, not far from the bottle-filled trash can.

There's simply not enough awareness or incentive to recycle. In the nine-story residence halls there are trash rooms on every floor, yet the only recycling facilities are at ground level. For some students, it's too much of a hassle to lug trash in and out of the elevator and down to the ground floor.

To learn more about Plattsburgh's recycling culture, I spoke with members of the Environmental Action Committee, a student run, on-campus organization that works to raise awareness for eco-friendly activities.

They recently conducted a survey dealing with on-campus recycling. From the 470 students who were surveyed, only 41 percent said that they recycle at all. Although this shows a severe lack of motivation, 90 percent of students said they would recycle more if there were more bins available on campus.

In any case, the majority of students living in the dorms either didn't know that there were recycling bins in their building, or thought they were too far away.

Consequently, we can see apathy on two fronts: the administration that doesn't encourage the practice, and the students who don't want to put forth extra effort.

The burden to initiate proper standards lies with a handful of dedicated students. Jess Fehsel, of the EAC believes, "it shouldn't be our responsibility to initiate recycling on campus…it should be done by the school."

The EAC has struggled in a number of attempts to promote a more eco-friendly campus, from information booths to "bring your own dish" initiatives. But, it often seems like the campus community just doesn't care.

As a university, we should want to take care of our environment. I mean we've got environmental and natural science majors, right? We learn about the evils of our consumerism daily, yet we don't take the initiative to lessen their effect?

Recycling isn't some new, cutting edge philosophy that we haven't had time to adapt to. As an institute of higher learning, we should be committed to practice what we preach.

(Food on-campus is sold in recyclable containers.)

Dean of Students, Bill Laundry, says, "We're in a very tight time with the budget and if we're talking about not hiring teachers versus buying trash receptacles, you can obviously see where that decision would lie."

This point is well taken, but the student association can spend $60,000 to get a gangster rap artist for an hour and a half? To me, the student, it seems to be more an issue of motivation.

After all, the wealthy Sodexho-Marriott Corporation that heads up our on-campus food service currently makes no effort to recycle the waste from its dining halls. The plastic food containers and beverage bottles they use all have the little recycle symbol on the bottom, so why aren't there available receptacles in any one dining hall?

Well, I guess it's to be expected from a company that earns over sixty million dollars a year and still buys Styrofoam dishware because it's cheaper.

A cooler full of plastic at the PSU dining hall.

This all reflects poorly on the school. If social responsibility is professed within the walls of our university, so should it be exemplified. The students need an administration that doesn't define education by the dollar, but by the content. If things continue the way they are, not only will Marriott's costs will cheapen alongside the learning experience.

Devoted students still press on in hopes that their efforts might be realized. The Environmental Action Committee is now seeking grant money from the university and the soft-drink companies whose vending machines live on campus. Plattsburgh State could see recycle bins at every soda machine and on every floor of the residence halls as early as next spring.

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