Recyclers

It was a plea for students to recycle.

"We're out here to increase awareness," UA recycling coordinator Susanne Chambers said while standing next to the 6-foot-high garbage pile that amounted to a third of UA's daily refuse.

"We want people to realize there is a need to recycle," she said.

UA and Tucson recycling advocates were on the UA Mall to remind students that recycling is vital in the quest for an environmentally stable planet.

Chambers, an ecology and nutritional sciences senior, said people need to know that a collective effort is necessary for global success.

"For every one person who recycles (on campus) there are 400 million people doing the same thing," Chambers said.

Yesterday's event was co-sponsored by the City of Tucson and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Education by Example, a UA student environmental group, collaborated with UA Recycling to coordinate the campus outreach program.

"We invited the groups so we could help educate the campus about recycling and environmental issues," said Heather Fahey, chairwoman of Education by Example and a communication junior.

Fahey said the group passed out more than 70 recycling mugs during yesterday's promotion and also is sponsoring an aluminum can tab collection contest among residence halls. The tabs will be donated to The Ronald McDonald House.

In addition to encouraging students to be environmentally conscientious, UA Recycling hoped to increase awareness of its own program, which has the lowest operating budget among Arizona's three state universities.

"Basically, we do more with less," said Richard Garb, recycling program coordinator for Facilities Management. "But we'd like to see more money to help reach the students," he added.

Facilities Management recycled 160 tons of cardboard, 320 tons of office paper and 3 to 4 tons of aluminum last year.

The program is able to keep low operating costs with help from the UA's custodial, grounds and labor departments, which collect recycling material, and by the volunteer efforts of special education students from the Tucson Unified School District, Chambers said.

Graduate student Jill Heller said having the huge trash pile on the Mall yesterday was good for visual awareness.

"I can't believe all the trash we make," Heller said.

Communication senior Janine Bubis recycles when she can but said it has been difficult since her apartment complex removed its recycling bin.