Emma Putahl – Opinion Columnist

We all love the excitement of seeing that we have a package ready to pick up at the Post Office, trying to remember what on earth was ordered and what it could be. Standing in line for the package that is almost a present from your past self. It’s something in the white and blue Amazon envelope, bubble-wrapped packaging. After trying to tear where it claims to be tearable, you give up and use your dorm key to finally get a hole in the packaging and rip the bubble pouch just enough to grab the mystery goodies inside. It’s those cute masks that match your winter coat.
After replacing the mask on your face with one of the brand new ones, the white and blue child-proof, dog-proof, adult-proof packaging goes into the waste bin. But that’s not where it belongs. Gusties, we need to talk about recycling.
Right across from the Post Office window are a couple of bins. Compost, waste, recycling and a weird cardboard, brown-lidded white box. Those plastic bag-like envelopes, or any type of plastic bag (including the grocery bags from Family Fresh when you forget the reusable bags right next to the dorm door) belong in this bin for proper disposal. Not all recycling is the same. The cardboard box that the fifth fake succulent you’ve bought this semester came in can go in the “normal” recycling bin. The weird plastic airbags that have replaced the super fun bubble wrap should be put in the plastic bag recycling (hint: the white and brown bin).
If it has clear packing tape, rip that off and throw it away. The weird Amazon tape is also not recyclable, but it is compostable. Either do some form of dark magic to get it all off, compost the entire box, or rip the cardboard up and do a mix of both recycling and composting.
Please don’t put the plastic bags in the normal recycling bin. It’s considered trash and everything in the recycling bin now goes to a landfill, which is a major bummer. The current recycling system is set up so that if there is one piece of trash in a can full of recyclables, everything is considered trash and goes to the dump. Remember this the next time a greasy pizza box is in the recycling bin. It doesn’t belong there. Only the clean parts of the box can be recycled and the rest should be composted or put in the trash *sigh*.
I would bet that many of our parents had, or continue to have, a stash of grocery bags hiding in a specific cupboard or closet. (If you somehow didn’t grow up with this experience, I don’t believe you, or your parents are magicians). After the bags reach avalanche levels, hopefully, someone either stopped using plastic bags and switched to reusable or paper bags until the mountain started to shrink or brought these bags to a recycling center for proper disposal. (Kohl’s, Walmart and Best Buy are where I used to go and are a great option when off campus). Now that we’ve developed similar habits to our parents, feel free to put aside the shame and pull the stash of plastic bags from under the bed or from one of the dorm dresser drawers, and bring them to one of the plastic bag collection bins on Campus. There is one right across from the Post Office and one across from the Caf.
If this is all brand new information, don’t worry, you are not alone. Seriously, you aren’t alone. I see this mistake all the time and it is a very common and understandable mixup. It is very easy to change your habits and to remind your friends. After getting the white and blue package that contained more stickers for your laptop, but the packaging in the plastic recycling bin. Maybe even check out the waste bin across from the Post Office and put the recycling in the container it belongs in. Making this simple change is a step towards being a more sustainable college student and will hopefully make Gusties become wiser consumers. Not ordering online isn’t very realistic, especially as college students, so at the very least be knowledgeable consumers and put our recycling where it belongs.