By Walker Polivka, Contributing Writer
West Liberty University students are going to have the opportunity again this year to participate in a recycling competition to help benefit campus. However, the format of the competition has changed this year.
Last year, students in each residence hall had recycling bins in their rooms for three weeks. The purpose of that was to give students an easier and more convenient chance to recycle. That all changed this year, however, with the re-opening of both Boyd and Rogers Halls. With those two halls re-opening and a limited amount of recycling bins on campus, the contest format would need to change for this year.
Instead, anyone who wants a recycling bin will be able to pick one up for their own use. This way, students who truly want to recycle will be given the opportunity to do so. Also, students who pick up the recycling bins will be able to hold onto them for the whole semester, rather than just the three weeks they were allowed last year.
With all the competition changes, the competition will still be judged fairly. Area Coordinator Luke Tacosik said, “The number of students per residence hall will be taken into consideration and things will be kept fair by counting a percentage of recycled items from each student. Myself, Shelly Smith, and the rest of the WFF Facility Services staff will keep tabs on how much is recycled.”
Prizes for which residence hall recycles the most have yet to be determined, but last year’s hall winner got a pizza party. Tacosik says, “Additional recycling bins are looking to be bought via a donation from WFF, as well as a water fountain that fills up water bottles easier.”
The recycling competition initially came to fruition by pure accident. “The recycling competition idea happened one day when I was doing a weekly walk through of the residence halls with Shelly Smith, and we both decided that something more could be done to promote recycling. Recycling is an important concept because it’s the right thing to do. Many people aren’t educated as to what can and can’t be recycled, so hopefully the recycling competition helps to spread awareness,” Tacosik said.
Recycling bins will soon be available starting the second week of October, but be sure to follow the Housing and Student Life social media accounts for further updates. If you have any other questions regarding recycling, please reach out to Tacosik at [email protected].
