Thursday, March 28, 2024

EDITORIAL: Recycling changes a step forward for E.L.

East Lansing, home to the Spartans who bleed green, but what has lacked over the years is in fact an appreciation of the green.

Walk into any apartment on Saturday night — beer cans, boxes and numerous recyclables flood the area. Fast forward to Sunday morning, The MSU Recycling Center is packed with students. Lines are long and the wait is congested.

The City of East Lansing has finally included boxboard and corrugated cardboard for curbside pick up, beginning in October 2015, after several years without The change is essential for the city’s environmental consciousness growth.

Boxboard and corrugated cardboard are what most types of beers are held in. A lot of beer is consumed in East Lansing so why then is it just now available for curbside pick-up?

What stands out amongst the triumph is why it took so long to begin with for the city to make it easier on students — the easier it is the more likely students will recycle.

The current generation cares about the environment and their impact especially during college where environmental consciousness is taught in several university required classes.

Apartment complexes are where a large amount of students reside throughout the year, but East Lansing does not mandate recycling services for them. In order for students to actively participate in environmental change, they must first be given the opportunity.

Through adding boxboard and corrugated cardboard curbside pickup, East Lansing has made an important step, however it took way too long for it to happen. The environment should not be placed on a back burner only to be brought up every few years, the conversation must continue.

The progress is beneficial, but more work needs to be done in order to make environmentally friendly aspects of city and campus life more applicable.

Today’s youth are mindful of the struggles the Earth has environmentally, a collaborative effort between students and the city will make East Lansing a cleaner, greener place to live.

East Lansing has fallen short of what major university’s partner cities need to be for them to call themselves a green, environmentally friendly university.

Word of mouth will be what can set East Lansing apart, the students and East Lansing need to keep talking to one another about this issue. Communication back and forth about environmental woes and the lack of accessibility will eventually make East Lansing a beacon of green morale.

It’s time for the Spartans and East Lansing to really consider how much they love green.

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