Holt resident Victor Yuhasz prefers the MSU Recycling Center over other recycling centers because it accepts a variety of recyclable materials.
On Sunday, MSU will participate for the second year in the RecycleMania Tournament — a competition that runs from Feb. 5 to March 31.
More than 600 colleges from across the country compete to collect the largest amount of recyclable products, and MSU officials aim to collect more than 1 million pounds of recyclables during the competition.
Before no-preference sophomore Alexandra Page moved into her dorm room this fall, she said she was not enthusiastic about recycling.
But she and her roommate received a black mesh bag when they moved in to store their recyclables.
They decided to try it out because it seemed convenient, Page said.
Now, Page and her roommate are hooked on recycling.
They bring their filled recycling bag down to the lobby in their residence hall about once a week, and Page said it is because MSU makes it easy to be eco-friendly.
MSU became involved with the program to encourage students on campus to make recycling a higher priority, said Diane Barker, Campus Living Services and Residential and Hospitality Services assistant director for sustainability.
“The competition is just another thing we can do that is fun to get people involved,” Barker said.
“It helps with the behavior change.”
Bins will be set up in each residence hall for students and faculty to drop off their recyclables, she said.
Page said the competition probably will not affect her recycling habits, but she expects more students will recycle once they hear about the competition.
Microbiology senior Keenan Mullaney said he lives off campus and recycles his bottles and cans about once every week or two, but he does not think it is easy to recycle.
“I don’t know much about the competition, but I think the key is to make recycling more convenient and accessible,” Mullaney said.
Mullaney said he will continue to bring his cans to Meijer over the next month.
The MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center, which accepts more items than a traditional recycling center, has broadened the materials students can put in the bins in residence halls across campus, Barker said.
Recyclable materials include newspaper, envelopes, cardboard and pizza boxes.
“Most things that end up in a trash can could be recycled on campus, and we are trying to help people become aware of that more,” Barker said.
Accounting freshman Jake Munger said he has never put recyclables in the bins in the lobby of his residence hall, and the competition will not make him more motivated to recycle.
“I’ve seen the bins on the first floor of my dorm,” said Munger, but he added recycling does not usually cross his mind.
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