As part of a 10-year agreement signed last year with the city of Ann Arbor, the University is committed to making recycling work on campus.
New collection programs simplifying recycling in residence halls, academic buildings and the football stadium, combine with recycling-awareness initiatives to help the University generate less solid waste.
During student move-in week, Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, a total of 63.17 tons of paper products were collected for recycling, according to Grounds and Waste Management Services. The office is responsible for hauling and management of waste and recyclables on campus.
"This year will be better than previous years because of the new recycling totes in each student's room," said Erica Spiegel, University recycling coordinator. "Housing spent a lot of money to put the totes in each room."
While the amount of waste generated on campus is still greater than the amount recycled, Spiegel said, students in residence halls are becoming more sensitive to the need for recycling - partially as a result of informative efforts made by Grounds and Waste Management during move-in and in previous weeks.
"It is convenient and more accessible to students in residence halls," Spiegel said. "From random walks around different halls, I've noticed an increase in (students) putting the right materials in the right places."
"We've done a lot, but it's still not much," said SNRE senior Angie Farleigh, who is a co-facilitator of Environmental Action (ENACT), a student group committed to recycling. "There are some members who are adamant about getting recycling to work in the dorms."
ENACT is concentrating on the politics of the environment as the presidential election draws nearer, Farleigh said.
"Yeah, recycling levels were up during Welcome Week, but it's hard for students once they get into the 'routine,'" she said. "After the election, we'll concentrate on dorm recycling."
"It's really easy to recycle," said LSA first-year student Josh Pashman. "Why would you not do it?"
The city's year-old Material Recovery Facility helps collect the University's recyclables for distribution to manufacturers who reuse the waste.
"What we are doing well is collecting material more efficiently," Spiegel said. "Other schools are doing much better at composting and source reduction."
In comparison to other schools, the University's recycling efforts come out on top. Michigan State University has no university-operated or funded recycling programs in residence halls.
"Most of our recyclables come out of academic and administrative buildings," said Peter Pasterz, MSU's manager of the Office of Recycling and Waste Reduction. "But we do have a lot of volunteer student involvement in our residence halls."
The University's efforts have also extended outside of campus facilities, as more students are becoming aware of the many benefits of recycling.
"It's not an inconvenience," said Music sophomore Courtney Murphy. "We recycle in our house, and trade off taking it for processing each week."
Last year, the University's revenue from the sale of recycled material assumed 42 percent of the $355,348 total recycling program cost, according to an annual report published by Grounds and Waste Management.