Now students won’t just have the environment as motivation to recycle.

Plastic and aluminum recycled on campus is picked up by the National Residence Hall Honorary, an organization that gathers the materials to fund three Eastern scholarships, said Allan Rathe, recycling coordinator.

Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining, said the honorary is a group of residence hall students who have been recognized for leadership roles.

The three awards are the Richard Enochs, Brad Wright and Sean McKinney scholarships for outstanding leadership.

There is a nomination process in the spring and a committee of residence hall leaders and housing staff members review the applicants and select the recipient.

Campus recycling is mandated by the state, Rathe said.

Eastern was required to recycle 40 percent of waste by 2000, which was reached but should be maintained.

“The more we recycle, the less we have to pay for solid waste removal,” Rathe said.

The materials collected are brought to CCAR Industries where they are sorted, bailed and marketed.

“Last year 300 tons of paper and cardboard alone were recycled,” Rathe said. The numbers fluctuate over the years.

Paper, like aluminum and plastic, can be recycled everywhere on campus.

At the beginning of the year, cardboard is disposed in corrals throughout campus. At the end of the year, they are used to collect furniture which is picked up by the Haiti Connection.

Students are hired to collect the paper and cardboard, Rathe said. Before budget cuts, about eight students would collect, but now there are about five.

Rathe has informed administrators and students to reduce, reuse and then recycle.

“Especially reduce,” Rathe said. “The numbers have gone down, but that is only good if they don’t go in the trash.”

City editor Jennifer Chiariello can be reached at: [email protected]