Andie Paschal March 10, 2014 Report The student union is one of the only buildings on campus that

has a built in recycling program. Although the task of recycling in the student union is much more convenient than other locations around campus, staff and faculty in the student union has found that the recycling bins arent being used as much as they should be, and when they are being used, they are being contaminated. To figure out why the recycling bins arent being used and being contaminated when they are being used, I performed a series of observations and tests in order to identify the reasons behind these concerns with recycling in the student union. To get a feel for the atmosphere of the student union and the people, I stationed myself in various locations around the student union with a direct view of the recycling bins. At all five recycling bins, I took note of the actions of the people using the recycling bins. For the most part, I found that people were in a hurry and didnt take time to recycle; however, for those who did recycle, they didnt take a lot of time to determine whether or not the items they had were recyclable. I also observed that when recycling, many people looked into the bins to see if what they were recycling was already in the bin. For instance, one student recycling at the post office peered into the bins to see if what she was recycling was in there. I also looked through the recycling bins located in the student union in order to identify what items were being thrown away and what items were being recycled. I found that most common contaminates in the single stream recycling bins were coffee cups, plastic wrappers, and napkins. In the glass bins, I found the most common contaminates were metal lids. And in the garbage bins, I found the most common contaminates were paper, cardboard, and plastic lids. Lastly, I gave out a survey to students inquiring about their recycling habits. I found that almost everyone recycles; however, the most common items they recycle are not recyclable. For instance, out of the 20 people who took the survey, 11 students said they recycled coffee cups, 9 students said they recycled plastic wrappers, and 7 students said they recycled paper napkins. Three out of the top six items people typically recycle are not recyclable.

What do you recycle?

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 11 9 3 1 1 9 7 3 1 Amount of Students 12 9

After looking through the recycling bins myself and looking at the common items people recycle from the survey, the data from the survey confirmed my findings about the most common contaminates in the student union. The most common contaminates appear to be recyclable, however, they are not. The guidance signs located above the recycling bins are great, but they do not specify whether or not items such as coffee cups and napkins are recyclable, which is a concern when it comes to recycling in the student union. Out of the twenty students who took the recycling survey, nineteen said they often refer to the signs in order to decide whether or not the items they have are recyclable. Common items found in the student union such as clamshell take out containers, paper napkins, and coffee cups are not listed on the sign as to whether or not they are recyclable. Therefore, students have to guess whether or not the items they have are recyclable. Based on this information, I believe the guidance signs should be modified and specified around items typically found in the student union. I also believe the location of recycling bins in the student union should also be more apparent. I had the opportunity to modify one of the recycling bins in the student union, so using the data collected I made some alterations. I created a large sign that says, recycle, and placed it above the recycling bin to make the location more apparent. I also placed small pictures of various contaminates on the counter. On the pictures I wrote, Do not recycle. I noticed that a lot of people look down when recycling, so I thought by having pictures on the counter, it would be much more convenient for students to quickly look at the picture, rather than scan the sign located above the recycling bin for the item they are recycling. Lastly, I added 3-d objects to the sign located above the recycling bin. By having physical objects attached to the sign, it catches students attention. Hopefully some of the modifications Ive made to the recycling bin will decrease contamination rates and increase recycling rates.