From shoulder pads to parachute pants, the 1980s are remembered in a variety of ways — one of the most important being the beginning of the recycling revolution.
The Vancouver Observer, an online newspaper, recalls the event as though it were yesterday.
The Mobro 4000, a barge, pulled out of the New York Harbor in 1987, intending to move multiple tons of garbage to a landfill in North Carolina, but was refused.
The barge continued on a six-month journey, only to be refused time and time again until finally, the trash-laden sojourner was able to unload in Brooklyn, N.Y.
What made this story so momentous was not the journey itself, but the idea that we had run out of space for all of our trash.
In response, the U.S. went from some 600 cities providing curbside recycling to an astounding 10,000 within only three years, according to a February 2007 article by wasteage.com.
Allocating our trash for recycling instead of putting it all in a landfill is a major improvement.
But some things never change.
As of fall 2010, about 78 percent of the University’s students live off-campus, according to an official in the Office of Budget and Planning.
Assuming the average student spends around three to four hours a day in classes, where do you suppose they spend the remainder of their time?
Where do you suppose they consume the most waste?
Not on campus.
Of the five off-campus residences I reviewed — Burbank Commons, Campus Crossings Brightside, Sterling Northgate, Tiger Manor and University Crescent — only two plan on implementing any sort of facility-wide recycling system in the future: Campus Crossings Brightside and University Crescent, and it’s because of supposed cost efficiency.
Because apartments don’t fall under city programs, the facilities have to pay for recycling themselves.
Of the 78 percent of students living off-campus, many don’t have access to recycling.
Jessica O’Neill, property manager of Sterling Northgate, where individual residents may request recycling bins, said she “called to look into it, and it’s a little expensive and we already pay a lot for trash pickup.”
The sad truth is that O’Neill isn’t alone.
Between the costs of recycling pickup and labor expenses to monitor contamination to the recyclables, coupled with strict city guidelines, many local residences just aren’t seeing the perks past the penalties.
Bob Dillemuth of the Recycling Office of East Baton Rouge Parish said while the initial funding of bins and pickup may be expensive, the garbage bins, which are also paid for by the facilities, are valued by frequency of pickup and volume of trash.
If the trash is separated into recyclables, pickup will be required less often for both bins, which will ultimately save the facility money.
That is, if the recyclables remain uncontaminated.
Trash completely devalues the recyclables and makes the point moot, but our University can help.
Aside from our wonderful can-do personality and friendly spirit, LSU provides education to its students — and that’s what also needs to be done in the case of recycling.
Whether it be on campus or off, a lack of knowledge causes more harm than good.
University Crescent made its decision to start recycling because of prospective students and its concern for the environment, and there’s no reason other facilities won’t follow behind if they’re asked to do so.
If we can focus our attention on educating each other about recycling and demanding it from our temporary homes, as we should, a substantial need in our community could be met, one resident at a time.
Priyanka Bhatia is a 19-year-old pre-veterinary medicine freshman with a minor in environmental management systems. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_Pbhatia.
 
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Contact Priyanka Bhatia at
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