Having lived in Zolton Cooperative for part of my student life at Michigan State, and having the job of cleaning the kitchen after meals for a term or two, I learned to recycle cans, glass, plastic and whatnot.
Later, I married and lived in Hillcrest Village, where my wife and I hardly recycled. I was recruited for a position at the University of Michigan Merit Network, Inc., and lived in Ypsilanti, Mich., for some time where my wife and I recycled a whole host of various materials as Ypsilanti’s recycling program (at least used to be) refreshingly progressive.
Now I live in the Bailey Neighborhood with my wife and daughter, and we are avid recyclers. On occasion, I make a trip to the East Lansing recycling drop-off, and sometimes I take odds and ends plastics to the MSU drop-off point across from the Surplus Store and Recycling Center.
Well, today, when I took my odds and ends recycling to MSU, I found that the normal drop-off bins were closed as MSU crews loaded the recycling trucks with the materials at the end of the week. I was diverted by clearly marked signs to the Surplus Store parking lot where a couple of courteous and helpful employees took the recycling I had in a bin in my trunk out of my car and dropped it off in the appropriate collection hampers. And they gave me a coupon for an ice cream at the Surplus Store.
I parked and took my coupon into the Surplus Store and I was amazed by what was available for purchase there (I hadn’t ever been inside the store, always just passed by on the way to the drop-off point across the street).
Although I didn’t buy anything today, and went inside just to stand in a short and fast-moving line to get my free ice cream, I was taken by how helpful the employees were, even as the store was really busy. So, I’m paying it forward by sending in to The State News a formal compliment and kudos. My normal run to the southern part of campus to recycle turned into an informative, uplifting and useful trip. I’m proud to say that I’m a Spartan alumnus when MSU goes the extra mile like it did today.
“Thank you” to all those employees involved today with recycling and in general to the great university I attended back in the ‘80s while I was an undergrad. MSU truly is working hard to serve people and create a better world for not only students and faculty and staff, but us
“townies,” too.
Mark Knox, MSU alum
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