We have all recently been told that our University will no longer be recycling a large portion of our wastes. I find it very hypocritical that a university that started as an agricultural school would cut out such major recycling as newspapers, glass and plastic bottles.

Recycling is being treated as a fad that is slowly wearing out at Penn State. This is something that cannot be ignored. We must be aware of the irreversible effects we have on nature.

We are depleting the Earth's natural resources, polluting the air we breathe and the water we drink, and bringing extinction to plants and animals that have interfered in our selfish lives. The amount of money that goes into Penn State and with an annual budget of over 1 billion dollars, you would think that recycling would be improved and not diminished. A major university that cares about having a number one football team will be sitting with their trophies in a pile of waste.

Newspapers alone can be recycled up to seven times. When paper is made it must be bleached with chlorine, producing dioxins. The production of paper creates one of the most toxic effluents any industry produces. When paper is recycled it does not have to be bleached as much, cutting down on the toxins in the air. We cannot forget about the timbering that goes into producing paper. Americans throw away the equivalent of more than 30 million trees in newsprint each year. And we're not recycling it because it costs too much. If we must put a price on the preservation of our beautiful land than this is quite cheap.