Some sorority chapter meetings have added variety to their agendas in recent weeks by including a crash course in recycling.

Stephanie Michnowicz, South Halls Residence Life coordinator, said she invited Al Matyasovsky, Office of Physical Plant (OPP) Center Support Services supervisor, to educate members of the sororities about the importance of recycling.

"Every time I have a bottle, now I'll recycle it," Kacie Moore (sophomore-finance), member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, said. "Many of the girls in the hall have changed their attitudes toward recycling."

Michnowicz said she hoped Matyasovsky's presentation would prompt sorority members to begin recycling so that they could be an example for other residents in the community.

"Any recycling effort is worthwhile," Panhellenic Council President Krista Eck said. "Starting off small is a great way to get a project rolling."

Matyasovsky said the university could save up to $150,000 a year by recycling more products because it costs $56 to dispose of one ton of garbage, compared to $5 to $10 per ton of recyclable material.

"By recycling more materials, we can avoid the higher cost and put the money saved into other areas around the university," he said.

Penn State currently recycles about 34 percent of all of its waste, out of a potential 67 percent of it, Matyasovsky said.

"This leaves us functioning at an efficiency that is only half of what it could be," he added, attributing some of the deficiency to the contamination of recyclable materials and litter in classrooms.

Recyclable materials are contaminated when they are mixed with trash, or vice versa.

Even spitting in recycle bins can contaminate recyclable products, OPP spokesman Paul Ruskin said.

"If we could take away all of the litter in classrooms tomorrow, we could save $250,000 in labor and the overall process," Matyasovsky said.

Dawn Shawley, an employee at the Centre County Solid Waste Authority, said Penn State normally has a high waste contamination rate of about 3 percent.

She said, however, the amount of contaminated recyclable goods reaches up to 34 percent during home football weekends.

"I think the students need to be educated more on the correct procedure of recycling," Shawley said. "Maybe there should also be more enforcement by the university."

Ryan Holcombe (senior-biology) recently studied recycling in downtown State College along Calder Way for a class project and found that 12 percent of the weight of trash was recyclable material.

He said on-campus recycling sites placed in convenient locations, such as the HUB-Robeson Center, encourage students to recycle.

"I think it is very easy to recycle because the bins are placed everywhere," John Yerger, president of the Environmental Society, said. "I think there is always room for improvement."

Maura Cowley, president of EcoAction, said she thought students' attitudes about recycling at Penn State could be improved.

"I think some students are apathetic about recycling, but it's important because we need to reduce landfills and cut down fewer trees," she said.

Cowley said EcoAction would like to focus more on recycling initiatives next semester and will try to educate students about the importance of recycling.

"Recycling is a double-win situation," Ruskin said. "We can protect the environment and save money for the university, which could help lower costs."