Eco-Action members felt not enough students were recycling on campus last semester and decided to work with the Office of Physical Plant to devise a plan of action.

OPP and Eco-Action are measuring the amount of recyclable materials in the classroom bins to determine where students recycle on campus, said Al Matyasovsky, supervisor of labor, equipment and solid waste at OPP.

Twenty-one recycling stations were placed in Willard Building, as well as three stations in Thomas Building.

Matyasovsky, Jim Garthe, professor of agricultural engineering, and the OPP Waste Management team assisted Eco-Action members in sorting through refuse and separating trash from the plastic, newspaper and aluminum.

After sorting and weighing the refuse and recyclable material, both OPP and Eco-Action will review the data, Matyasovsky said.

Audit results will prove if students use recycling bins in areas where more bins are available, and whether the number of bins increases the total capture, he added.

If more recyclable material is collected from Willard than Thomas, OPP will place recycling bins in most of the major classroom buildings, Matyasovsky explained.

"We are identifying problems in public buildings and coming up with better solutions," Matyasovsky said.

Jen Corbett (junior-psychology), co-recycling chair for Eco-Action, said she believes Penn State's recycling program is somewhat successful.