Recycling is so important not only for our environment but also for the sustainability of limited materials. For this reason, recycling should be accessible and efficient for everyone.
The state of Wyoming, given its great outdoors, strongly values clean air, healthy wildlife, and preserving its natural beauty. If we want to uphold these values, we need to use our resources wisely and take the proper steps to preserve our beautiful state.
Recycling reduces waste, conserves resources, prevents pollution, increases economic security, saves energy, and creates jobs. With the amount of people that genuinely care about the environment and our state, Laramie should have more accessible recycling options for college students.
In Laramie, many places have recycling bins and designated spaces to put recyclable materials. This is still not adequate recycling for Laramie because of accessibility, fees, and general usability aspects.
According to the City of Laramie website, recycling can be done by going to the recycling center or placing recyclable items in the blue-lidded trash bins. The Laramie Recycling Center is located at the Laramie landfill, which, for students without cars, is inaccessible.
The blue-lidded recycling bins are primarily found at businesses and larger buildings. Residents can also have a blue-lidded bin placed at their house for $4.48 per month. For college students renting out housing, this option is not up to them, but their landlords.
If most local residents want to recycle, they must go to the recycling center of their own accord. The City of Laramie website says that doing this requires a fee to recycle. This fee is $63 per ton with a $5 minimum.
Recycling shouldn’t require any sort of fees and should be easily accessible to the everyday resident of Laramie.
At the recycling center, people are able to recycle more than just the basic acceptable recyclable items.
Acceptable items include: food boxes, cereal boxes, box board, milk cartons, junk mail, brown paper, cans, newspapers, office and school paper, aluminum foil and trays, cardboard, books, magazines, phone books, and catalogs.
Plastic #1 is also recyclable in the form of a bottle with a screw top which includes water, soda, beverage, and condiment bottles as well as Plastic #2 in the form of a bottle or jug including plastic milk jugs, water, detergent, and shampoo bottles.
If people go to the Recycling Center they can also recycle printer cartridges, tires, car batteries, green waste, e-waste, and other things that cannot be placed in blue-lidded bins.
Plastic grocery bags can be recycled at Big Hollow Co-Op. Glass bottles and jars can be recycled at Wyoming Conservation Corps.
One problem still facing Laramie is the issue of contaminated recyclable materials. According to an informational video linked on the city’s website, over $10,000 has gone to contamination fees, which factors into why recycling costs money.
The types of materials that cannot be recycled include materials contaminated with food waste/grease, candy and food wrappers, green waste, construction materials, shredded paper, styrofoam, and car oil containers.
The University of Wyoming has many different places around campus to recycle. This includes bins with dividers for each type of recyclable material, as well as bins on top of trash cans to encourage even further recycling.
These bins can be found most commonly in the Union, the Classroom Building, Washakie dining center, and the newly constructed Engineering Building.
That being said, most students can’t bring all of their home recycling materials to the university for quick, easy, and affordable recycling. If students live off-campus they must either bring the recycling to the university or pay the fees at the recycling center. Many students do not live in a place where they are able to pay for a blue-lidded bin to stay at their residence.
For college students, this isn’t feasible due to financial and accessibility reasons. The city and state should re-evaluate current recycling measures to help preserve and protect the environment for generations to come.
