And Michigan residents only recycle 0.38 tons per person, compared to the 0.46 tons per person recycled nationwide, said William Rustem, president of Public Sector Consultants.

The biggest contributing factor is Michigan’s lack of recycling options for its residents, he said.

“As government revenues are down, curbside recycling is being cut,” he said. “There isn’t as much support as there was. We make it difficult for people to recycle while others make it easy.”

But East Lansing environmental specialist David Smith said the main factor in the reduction rate in East Lansing is a decrease in the amount of circulated newspapers, which has been the city’s most-collected product.

“Newsprint has always been our largest volume of what we bring in by weight. People are getting fewer subscriptions over the last several years, (and) circulation has gone down,” he said.

Although the overall recycling rate has decreased, Smith said about 70 percent of permanent residents participate weekly and about 80 percent participate monthly.

Smith said the city constantly is trying to educate incoming students about how to recycle in the city through different mediums, such as Facebook, to provide up-to-date information.

“We found that our young residents in East Lansing are least likely to recycle,” he said. “With new students, they have to learn the programs we offer, which might be different from what they’re used to in their hometown. We want them to have just as much or more passion as our permanent residents, so it’s constant.”

MSU’s campus sustainability assistant director Jennifer Sowa said the lower rates might not accurately reflect people’s actions.

“For us, creating less waste is our main focus,” she said. “Just because numbers are down, it doesn’t always mean we’re doing worse. It could mean people are better in utilizing what they need, not that they are less environmentally conscious.”

Sowa said MSU has done well in recycling and has encouraged alternative solutions, such as two-sided printing and using reusable water bottles. And MSU’s recycling rates have increased by 10 percent since 2008, she said.

She said during the spring semester, recycling methods will be expanded to include more materials. The university’s Recycling Center currently collects white mixed paper, colored mixed paper, plastics one and two, newspapers and cardboard recycling.

“In January, the program will expand. It will begin to collect plastics three through seven, toner cartridge recycling will be expanded more and box boards, like cracker and cereal boxes, will be included,” she said.

Urban and regional planning senior Sarah Nassiri said MSU helps increase recycling efforts, but there still are ways the university could improve to make it more convenient for students.

“There are trash cans everywhere,” she said. “If they put recycling bins right next to them students will be more likely to recycle everywhere.”