No, someone didn't forget to take out the garbage. The bags were piled there as part of the LLCC Environmental Club's display for American Recycles Day.
To bring awareness to the importance of recycling on campus, Environmental Club students searched through bins in Menard and Sangamon Halls on two different occasions last week to find items that could have been recycled. (Here, students Samuel Brady and Audra Allen dig through the garbage to pull out recyclable items.)
It was surprising how often they found recyclable items thrown in the garbage when there were recycling bins right next to the trash cans!
The collection of recyclable materials the students found was displayed in front of Menard Hall on Monday, which was America Recycles Day.
Environmental Club members hung out next to a display that showcased information on the project.
During their one and a half-day collection project, the students gathered 339 plastic bottles, 104 cans, 6.1 pounds of paper.
Given that same rate, the Environmental Club calculated that in one semester, 18,080 bottles, 5,547 aluminum cans, and 325.3 pounds of white paper are thrown in trash cans versus recycling bins in Sangamon and Menard halls alone.
After the display was taken down, Club members took the cans, bottles, and paper to a local recycling center.
