By Caroline Thiemann | Guest Contributor
Recycling is a part of many people’s lives across the world, the Waco community included. Baylor students who live on campus have the option to recycle easily, resulting in many students doing so. I was surprised when I moved off campus to an apartment to find out that my complex doesn’t recycle.
The City of Waco recycles and has been since 1992 when it opened Cobb’s Recycling Center. However, while the City of Waco and Baylor recycle, that is not the case for many apartment complexes.
This fact concerned me because growing up, I always recycled. It was a large part of my life, and I have always found it to be extremely important for our environment. So, when I discovered that my apartment would only have a place to dispose trash, I became agitated.
When I moved into my apartment, my roommates and I brought a blue recycling can because we were all passionate about recycling in our first apartment. We still use it to recycle, but when we take out our trash, the recycling still ends up getting thrown in the trash room. Each week when this happens, I wish that apartments had a separate area to hold recyclables.
The View on 10th and U Pointe on Speight are two examples of apartment complexes in Waco that do not recycle. Many Baylor students live at these apartments, so this issue impacts a significant portion of the Baylor community.
The real question is how many Baylor students care enough about recycling to participate in their respective personal apartments. If their apartment complex gave them the option to recycle, would they take action, or would they be too lazy to put in the extra work of separating their waste before going to the dumpster?
Thinking about the environment is something that I believe is vital to our generation. Even if it’s something as mundane as recycling whenever you can, you can make a real difference in your community.
One way you can become more involved in helping the Waco community is the Keep Waco Beautiful nonprofit. This organization provides volunteer opportunities, influences recycling programs and educates people on how to better the community. However, most college students are looking for smaller ways they can make an impact.
If you were interested in recycling but your apartment complex shares this same issue, bring your recycling to Cobb’s Recycling Center in Waco. Here, you can still take part in such a crucial process in your community even if your apartment doesn’t make it available to you.
However, there is a solution for if an apartment complex wanted to start recycling. All it would need to do is have space for an additional dumpster for recyclables and hire someone to pick up the extra dumpster.
According to the Cobb’s Recycling Center website, a recycling program for an apartment complex comes at no additional cost if it receives solid waste disposal service from the City of Waco Solid Waste Services.
Additionally, Solid Waste Services will give apartments a dumpster for recyclables. According to the City of Waco Texas Recycling Services website, recycling dumpsters would be placed next to existing dumpsters at the loss of a parking space or two.
Implementing recycling programs into Waco apartment complexes is an important step toward making the upcoming generation pay more attention to the environment. It’s the little things that make the largest difference.
