Marshall Foundation to review group's findings on benefits of recycling

Hundreds of recyclable plastic cups are piled up in bins along East University Boulevard - and none of them are being recycled.

But soon, if the Arizona Student Recycling Association has its way, shops and cafes along University Boulevard will offer recycling. Already, the club has collected more than 1,000 signatures from students who would support a recycling program.

Guided by other recycling programs in Tucson, the members of ASRA are gathering data, signatures and other community support to present the benefits of recycling to the Marshall Foundation - the landlord of University Boulevard shops and restaurants.

Currently, cardboard is the only item recycled on University Boulevard, said Michael Horn, co-president of ASRA.

"We feel that these businesses are part of the UA community," Horn said. "Students are their economic support. If the student body thinks there should be recycling, it's something they should know about."

So far, all of the University Boulevard businesses that ASRA has approached, including Starbucks, Santa Fe Hotdog Express, Cokes and Smokes, Caribbean Squeezers and No Anchovies, have expressed support for a recycling program on University Boulevard.

According to ASRA surveys, UA students and faculty support recycling on University Boulevard.

Of 300 students who were surveyed, 92 percent said that recycling is "an advancement to society."

Ninety percent of students who said they utilize University Boulevard said they would recycle if it were accessible.

More than half of the students said they think it is "hip" to recycle.

"People are shocked that there's no recycling on University Boulevard," Horn said.

With the help of the UA Garbage Project, ASRA members are collecting garbage data on University Boulevard.

They can calculate approximately how many recyclable items have been thrown in the trash by counting the recyclable items on the visible layer of garbage cans.

According to last February's statistics, taken twice a week, more than 400 recyclable items were visible in garbage cans along University Boulevard.

About one-third of those items are plastic cups. They counted seven plastic bottles, 13 glass bottles, 38 aluminum cans, 57 newspapers, 143 plastic cups and 163 Styrofoam containers.

Jeff Warne, owner of Caribbean Squeezers, 845 E. University Blvd., said he thinks recycling should be implemented in the district, but he admitted that it would difficult for individual business to implement.

"There is not a lot of extra space, so it is more of a landlord issue," he said.

ASRA wants to present its data to the Marshall Foundation this summer to show that recycling is economically feasible and beneficial for the community and the University Boulevard businesses, said Anneliese Schmidt, co-president of ASRA.

Businesses could potentially make money from recycling, Horn said.

"With even just these numbers we can say that there are thousands and thousands of recyclable things thrown out every month," he said.