Students are proving recycling is more than just a trendy word. They’re letting their actions speak for them.

New, bright blue, 95-gallon, single-stream recycling bins sat alone in the common rooms and lounges of all the residence halls, waiting for the new wave of students to move in. But with all the discussion about a new recycling program on campus, would students live up to their part of the bargain and actually throw recyclables in the bins?

After the first four weeks of school, the answer is yes – especially in underclassman residence halls. It is such a success, sometimes there is not room for any more recycling.

“They’re full every time I put things in. They’re to the brim. Most of the time they’re pretty stuffed,” said Danny Treinen, Business freshman and Kiewit Hall resident.

Louis Marcuccio, of the Facilities Management planning administration, said the bins may be getting full and not emptied because they are currently hiring a new recycling crew and have yet to train them.

Additionally, they’ve purchased a new single-stream recycling truck that should be on campus by next week, said Teresa Bohnet, campus services manager in Facilities Management. She said pick-ups the first week and half were a little “iffy” due to some communication issues.

Single-stream recycling allows paper, plastic and metal to all be placed in the same bin. According to Waste Management’s Web site, the volume of recyclable material collected with single-stream recycling increased from 722,000 tons in 2002 to more than two million tons in 2006, because of its convenience, which encourages participation.

“I wondered why we didn’t separate it. I like that you can throw everything in,” said Jamie Rossman, Nursing freshman and Kiewit resident. “It’s always full. I can never empty mine because it’s way too full.”

Recycling pick-up is scheduled for every other day – Tuesday, Thursday and Monday, Wednesday and Friday on alternating weeks. Bohnet said it will increase to everyday, eventually.

“We’re really gauging it by how full all the containers are within a hall,” Bohnet said. “If there’s one that’s full, we’re hoping someone may go to another floor to another bin that’s not quite as full.”

Bins are located on each floor of the freshman and sophomore halls, but only on the first floors of Davis, Opus, Kenefick and Heider Halls. Amanda Schuler, Nursing senior and fourth-floor Opus resident, said she always recycled when she was a freshman because bins were located by the elevator. She said she would like more containers in Opus to make it more accessible and convenient.

“I would totally recycle. I just don’t think to do it when I don’t see the recycle bins all the time,” Schuler said.

“I would like it if they had a bin on all floors, ideally speaking that would be nice. But I don’t know how utilized these bins are,” Coleen Doody, Nursing senior and third-floor Opus resident said. Doody said she recycles, but the bins are “not very full, usually.”

“I think that the program’s going well; it’s an easy program to follow. There are very few things that can’t go in the single-stream,” Bohnet said.

Items not welcome in the recycling bins are glass, Styrofoam, plastic bags or food. Materials are not pre-sorted before being taken to the compactor. First Star Fiber reported too much contamination will result in the entire load being labeled as trash or reducing the return, which is currently $30 per ton.

“We haven’t had a load turned away yet. But if it happens too often they will start denying,” Bohnet said.

Single-stream bins are currently only available in the Harper Center, the Wareham Building and all Residence Life housing facilities. Bohnet predicts the rest of the facilities on campus could see blue bins being installed in six months, but Facilities Management does not have a time frame. They will need to order bins and increase education in each building before implementing them.

Overall, Marcuccio said “it’s going pretty well. Only time will tell and we’ll learn better ways to do things. But this is the right thing to do, and we’re going to see it through.”

Marcuccio said students are positive about recycling.

“Students have done a good job at embracing this,” he said. “What we need is not just students, but the entire Creighton community.”