Currently, our Science Education 458 class has been participating in the National Geographic Kid Network's "Too Much Trash?" unit. Throughout the past few weeks, we have been periodically collecting and weighing the trash we generate. We have discovered the majority of our paper trash is newspapers. We are very concerned about the discontinuation of the newspaper recycling program. We feel it is the responsibility of both Penn State and the Collegian to work to find a more efficient means of recycling newspapers.

The Collegian needs to take action on this issue because the majority of the newspaper waste on this campus is made up of Collegians.

Our class has come up with an idea about why the original newspaper recycling program was unsuccessful and some ideas for starting a better program.

We feel the main reason there was a large amount of contamination of recyclables was a lack of student knowledge. Students were confused about what types of items could be recycled. We also suggest having a special lid for existing bins with a thin slot that only allows newspaper and computer paper to be inserted.

We feel that many students take advantage of the free Collegians on campus by taking one out of convenience. The Collegian could offer low-cost student subscriptions to the paper, thus eliminating surplus newspaper waste. Another option would be for the students to pay twenty-five cents for the Collegian, but then get twenty cents back if they return it to be recycled.

These are a few suggestions for dealing with this problem. Although all of these ideas may not seem feasible, something must be done, and soon.

Isn't it ironic that Penn State, a university that takes such pride in its concern for the environment and its environmental center, cannot even find a way to recycle its newspapers?