Students at Quinnipiac University have to clean up their act.

In order for the University as a whole to get the ball rolling, everyone must participate. After weeks of investigation and interviews, we found that everyone is equally to blame for the recycling issue. This means all parties involved must do a little thing called “communicate” so the problem can be resolved.

Let’s start with the students.

Almost everyone on this campus is between the ages of 17 and 23. Being in this age category means that you are an adult and you have to start taking responsibilities for your actions. When you are too lazy to walk down a flight of steps to a garbage can, you are being irresponsible.

If you can have the decency and common sense to recycle in your own home, we suggest that you have the courtesy and respect to do it at a place where you reside, nonetheless, pay $30,000 per year to attend. Think about it in that respect, it may make a difference the next time you fling a beer can into the trash.

Now, let’s move on to Facilities.

Facilities states that they want to help Quinnipiac become a “recycling community.” It’s true that educating students is a good starting point, but don’t you think that as adults we would know what recycling is and we wouldn’t need a paper pamphlet to reiterate the information.

As stated above, the reason that students don’t recycle is the mere fact that they have so much on their plate when attending college. Therefore, instead of the paper pamphlet, which is going to be thrown into the trash and not recycled, try incentive programs. This will not only cause recycling to happen, but students will do it because they are getting rewarded.

Facilities needs to stop worrying about how much money that gets paid to their workers and start a program that will actually make recycling happen on this campus. If that means hiring more people onto the Facilities staff, we think it would be worth it. Every day, bags containing bottles, cans and paper are removed from campus recycling bins and carted off by the Waste Management Co., but often these bags do not always contain recyclables. This needs to be fixed.

And a word to the wise with the Solid Waste and Recycling Consultant of Hamden, Stephen Marsh: it may be a good idea to return to campus and conclude whether we are or are not complying with the Mandatory Recycling Act. If we are not, then why not call the DEP on us? Maybe it would take a shock like that for people on this campus to start caring.

The University may have a good recycling program, but if you feel that it is not as effective as it could be because students are either lacking awareness or the desire to recycle then do something about it.

If all this happens it’s a win-win situation for everyone at Quinnipiac. The University can be a green place. It just takes initiative, thought and caring at student, faculty, staff and administrative levels.