As we become more aware of the effects of climate change, it’s becoming more and more important to recycle and reduce waste. With the help of scientific studies and modern media, the world has seen some scary headlines predicting humans’ ultimate demise, including studies that claim climate change will be irreversible in just a handful of years.
In response to climate change, ETSU has several green initiatives. The student organization EcoNuts is known to camp out in the dining hall and advocate for reduced food waste, and ETSU has numerous recycling bins throughout campus. ETSU also charges its students a sustainability fee that goes toward making the campus greener.
Unfortunately, because the Department of Sustainability was unable to find a plastics recycling vendor, the department has changed the recycling policy and can only accept plastics one and two, when they previously accepted all types of plastics. They hope to acquire a vendor and are able to accept all plastics again soon.
While it’s not ETSU’s fault that vendors aren’t available, it’s important that one is found soon because of the extent of plastic waste that’s piling up all over the earth.
Plastic is a major pollutant especially in oceans, and it’s causing injury, illness and death in thousands of marine animals. We’ve all heard the viral news story about how plastic straws kill sea turtles, but it’s deeper than that. Plastic pollution is destroying ecosystems, plants and animals of different species, which in turn affects our lives in so many negative ways from making the physical environment toxic and lowering our food supply.
This is why recycling plastic is so important, and why it is urgent that another recycling vendor is found. ETSU should be the greenest campus it can be, and students and faculty can then do their part to contribute to a better earth.
