CSUN’s Associated Students observes America Recycles Day.

With more than 35,000 students, the CSUN campus is one of the biggest in the state of California. When you consider that according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, each person disposes of 4.43 pounds of waste per day, you get an idea of how big an impact recycling can have. That’s why Associated Students Recycling Services is continuing their support of “America Recycles Day,” which falls this year on Nov. 15, something it’s been doing since its inception in 1997.

“Our goal is to hopefully encourage students to realize what they’re putting in the trash,” said Rachelle Bowen, a second-year junior and the student outreach assistant for Associated Students Recycling Services. “There are so many bad things going on right now with our ecosystem, so hopefully this will be a wake-up call for people to think twice about what they’re doing. It’s also to encourage Americans to repurpose their old things or just to buy recycled products.”

According to Bowen, there are more than 60 outdoor receptacles on campus where typical items — cans and bottles — can be recycled. This is in addition to the places indoors, where paper recycling is more prevalent, that brings the number up to 200. If you go to the Associated Students Recycling Services’ website, you will find a map that highlights all these repositories.

However, one of the goals of the Associated Students Campus Recycling office is to bring awareness to the fact that there are many other items besides paper and drink containers that are able to be brought back to life. “There are a lot of things like ink jet, cell phone and e-waste recycling,” Bowen noted. “I know a lot of students don’t know about those services that we offer. We even do pallet recycling.”

As for whether or not the program on campus is working, Bowen noted that it’s been a resounding success. The office records the official amount of weight that CSUN recycles each year, and the numbers keep rising. Since 1991, just under 26 tons of plastic bottles, 8 tons of aluminum cans and 134 tons of glass have been collected. Last year alone, Recycling Services took in 17.5 tons of e-waste.

“I think students are becoming more aware of it,” Bowen said, “and that’s just great news for us and, of course, the Earth.”

Associated Students, Sustainability