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It is important to understand where both the Student Government Association and the administration at the University of Louisville stand on a “comprehensive recycling program.”
SGA’s focus (and rightfully so) is on the students, and about making recycling convenient for them.
SGA proposes that recycling bins be placed on every floor of every dormitory and next to every outdoor garbage can on Belknap campus. No matter a student’s location on campus, they would never be far from a recycling bin. This would make recycling so convenient, most students couldn’t help but recycle.
Not only is this an environmentally friendly proposition, but a financially sound one as well. Their proposal goes on to claim that Louisville Metro Solid Waste Management has agreed to collect all of the recycled material for free, which would actually save the university money on landfill cost.
SGA’s proposal would be great for the students if it were implemented.
However, the exorbitant costs begin with the administration’s idea of a “comprehensive” recycling program. Their focus (again, rightfully so) is on how the university recycles more dangerous materials, such as mercury, plastics, lighting fixtures and the like.
These materials can’t just be thrown into an orange bin in front of Grawemeyer Hall; they require the use of special recycling techniques. Recycling these items would be a lot less visible to the students, but perhaps even better for the environment than the SGA proposal. A similar program at the University of Kentucky costs around $400,000.
While SGA’s plan may be implemented fairly painlessly, they need to be careful while lobbying the administration. The high costs associated with it may make it incompatible with one of SGA’s primary goals: lower tuition.
SGA needs to decide which is more important to them: preserving the environment and setting a good example as a student government, or keeping the costs lower for students.
