Oddballs and Randoms

As I trudged out of the black hole that is my dorm room after a wild Saturday night, I grudgingly grabbed my laundry and eco-friendly detergent in the hopes of doing something productive in what will be a lazy, hung-over day. Once leaving my suite, I am first blinded by the sunlight until my eyes to my surroundings. And what surroundings those are; the door clicks shut behind me just in time for me to notice a girl recycling what is unmistakably two handles of Jose Cuervo from the night before. After giving her a quizzical look, she shrugs and replies “What? You can recycle Cuervo too!”…..

            Hey y’all, Project Green here and while we learn about new and interesting ways to go green, there is one thing that Cuervo girl taught me, and that is about the oddities of recycling. When we think of recycling, we think of paper, plastic, and certain metals. But, do we ever think of the random things we can recycle, like dentures for example? Ok, well maybe dentures isn’t the best example for college students, so instead we propose to make a list entitled “Odd Recycling a la Elon” so that Phoenix’ across our campus, or any campus for that matter can be made aware of the things we can do to reduce, reuse, and recycle (R, R, & R). So here goes nothing:

            “Odd Recycling a la Elon”:

1. Clothing: Let’s face it y’all, college is tough on our bodies, and what covers our bodies? Our clothing. I’m talking about the usual wear and tear multiplied times two. So after all your clothes become ripped, torn, beer-stained, BBQ-stained, and sweat-stained, recycle them in some form or another! You can try making pillows or quilts our of old clothes by cutting the soiled parts and using what good pieces are left. Or if you’re not the crafting type, donate them or give them to a family in need, you never know; what is one persons trash may be another person’s treasure. Also keep in mind that just because an article has a hole or a stain on it, doesn’t mean its trash! Mend it, or oxy-clean that stain right out and make it good as new (hence the second R, in R, R, &R).

2. Cardboard Boxes: Got a care package from mommy or daddy? Try reusing them for storage purposes or saving it for packing at the end of the school year. None of the above option fit your need? Recycle it (in the paper goods container, of course).

3. Ink Cartridges: Drop them off at a local office supplies store such as Staples or Office Maz and you’re likely to receive a discount off your next purchase.

4. Beer Cans & Glass Alcohol Handles: Take a leaf out of Cuervo girls book and make your after party greener than ever before.

5. Cellphones: Broke your phone at that killer frat party last night and have to replace it now? As one of our team bloggers previously stated, you can recycle your old and broken phones by returning them to an electronics or cell phone network store and oftentimes receive a discount when purchasing your next mobile device.

            So that’s all for now folks, until we meet again keep in mind the oddities or random objects you can R, R, & R. Toothbrushes, mouthwash bottles, salad containers from colonnades, wrapping paper, and aluminum foil are all starters. Reduce, reuse, and recycle to help make our Elon University, community, and world a greener place! Thanks for reading and hope to see y’all back in Greener Days.