The Students’ Association passed a bill to provide funding for recycling bins in their meeting on Wednesday evening.
The bill allocated $550 of the congressional project fund to purchase recycling bins for A.B. Morris Hall. Residents had approached Maddie Pickle, Morris representative, with requests for recycling bins. She then received approval for the addition of recycling bins from Erin Daugherty, Morris resident director, before introducing the bill to Congress.
The university does not have any consistent form of on-campus recycling. Types of recycling bins vary from building to building, as does money set aside for recycling. SA will provide all of the necessary funding for Morris hall and residents will have the responsibility of managing the recycling themselves.
Pickle said she considers recycling to be an important university activity.
“It’s a great way ACU can take more steps towards being green, which is something that we’ve been working on a lot this year,” said Pickle, sophomore biology and pre-med major from Colorado Springs. “It’s something I think the student body cares about.”
Some students expressed reservations about the cost of the project – about $550 – or wondered why generic plastic bins could not be used in place of recycling-specific bins. SA President Rebecca Dial said the recycling bins were chosen for their durability in outside use, with plans to place them in the Morris courtyard.
“These are better quality and we can use them continuously,” said Dial, senior political science and finance major from Lexington, S.C. “In order for there to be university and administrative buy-in for recycling initiatives, students have to prove it is an issue they care about.”
Congress ultimately chose to fund the request. Only one student, Junior Class Treasurer Bo Braddock, voted against the bill. Braddock, junior biology major from Deer Park, said he disagrees with the current approach to recycling on campus and does not want to spend money on small projects.
“Historically, recycling programs here have not been very effective,” Braddock said. “In my opinion, our recycling programs need to be more campus-wide. Right now it’s more of a grassroots effort, and I think in most institutions where recycling programs work, it’s a top-down approach.”
SA meetings are open to all students. Meetings are conducted on Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building Room 114.
Absent members:
Spenser Lynn, senior class president
Gabe Elorreaga, senior class vice president
Simon Jowett, senior class treasurer
Kaitlyn Warton, McDonald Hall representative
Blair Agan, Edwards Hall representative
Alex Falcon, Harding Administration representative
