Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

These words are the mantra of the recycling community across the United States, and these three R’s could become prominent at Eastern as well.

The University Development and Recycling committee of the Student Senate is responsible for helping to maintain appearances on campus.

It does this through having recycle walks, informing Eastern students about the benefits of recycling and organizing a tree planting tradition, said Kara Shively, Dniversity Development and Recycling committee chair.

During recycling walks, committee members walk through buildings on campus and look for areas where new recycle bins could be placed. Shively said the purpose behind adding more recycling bins is to “promote recycling on campus and get students involved.”

“The recycle walk helped us a lot to find where recycle bins were needed on campus,” Shively said.

New recycling bins have been placed in Carman Hall and Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, and both are doing well, she said. More bins increase student awareness about recycling and, in turn, their recycling habits, Shively said.

“Recycling helps aid to the development of this campus,” Shively said. “It’s the little things, like throwing a plastic bottle in a recycling bin, that help strengthen the physical atmosphere of this campus. Recycling is a big issue. People are so wasteful. It is important to keep the campus clean.”

To do that, the committee plans on placing signs in the dining halls near trash cans. By doing so, Shively said it is hoped that more students will recycle what they can instead of throwing it away.

According to legislation from last semester, in addition to improving recycling on campus, the committee is planning to start the process of planting trees so all 140 varieties of trees native to Illinois will be present on campus.

Student Speaker Adam Howell said he is pleased by the initiative taken by the committee.

“They have been very active and have done a really good job,” Howell said. “This committee is the only student outlet for discussing development on campus.”