In an effort to bring recycling to on-campus houses, the EcoStewards Club submitted a detailed proposal to Student Senate in early January. Since then, little has been done.

After discovering there were no recycling options for students living in on-campus houses, EcoStewards Club President Nathan Blake contacted 17 House Leaders to gauge interest in finding more eco-friendly ways to dispose of their trash. When 15 of the House Leaders responded to Blake all showing support, Blake said he then attempted to bring the issue to the Student Senate.

Now, 79 days later without any formal response, Blake said he is uncertain if the senate presented his proposal.

“The impression I get is that [the information] wasn’t presented,” Blake said. “Or, if it was presented, it was to a very select few group of individuals.”

According to Student Senate President T.J. DeNofrio, he was never made aware of the recycling proposition and was never approached by anyone about it.

“I have yet to have anyone from the EcoStewards Club show up to the [senate] meetings [or send me] a direct email [regarding recycling],” DeNofrio said.

At the beginning of the Fall semester, DeNofrio said there were references to recycling inside the senate, but since he has never been personally addressed.

“This was the beginning of the semester [in the fall, but] there was this mumbling about recycling in the Senate… it was about on-campus housing and that was about it and nothing else really [happened],” DeNofrio said. “No one came to the meeting to address it… I have had no one come up to me and address any interest.”

Despite this, Blake said a proposal detailing the branding for recycling bins; pickup routes for student workers; names of Housing Leaders who were in support and a ‘comprehensive’ budget sheet was given in person to Social Vice President, A.J. McClure, Jan. 23.

According to McClure, he did receive the packet of information from Blake about recycling Jan. 23 and presented it in front of the executive board in the pre-meeting for senate. While DeNofrio does not remember ever hearing information from the EcoStewards Club about recycling, McClure said DeNofrio was at his presentation to the executive board “as far as [he could] remember.”

Blake said he was unable to personally present the information to Student Senate due to a class conflict during the time the senate meets on Tuesdays.

Since his presentation, McClure said the initiative was slowed due to lack of manpower.

“The main issue with the housing [recycling] is we are currently down one on-campus recycling student employee,” McClure said. “We pay for two each year and one of them had to leave this semester.”

While McClure said there isn’t enough manpower to “justify” bringing recycling to on-campus houses this semester; McClure said there could be changes to how recycling is handled campus-wide in the future.

“I was in conversation with the guy who does pick-ups [for recycling] on campus and around,” McClure said. “We are looking into a new way of organizing recycling in a new way that the campus can be involved.”

According to McClure, this new method would most likely be available by next academic school year and would directly benefit students living in on-campus housing.

Since presenting the information to Student Senate in late January, McClure said information about the EcoStewards Club’s recycling plan has been passed on to Secretary Olivia Shultz-Falandes. Shultz-Falandes declined to comment. Blake said she was given an “overview of the information.”

DeNofrio said he encourages anyone looking to inquire about recycling to email him. With room in the budget, DeNofrio said he is willing to address the issue when presented with appropriate information.

“Obviously, [recycling] is something in our budget,” DeNofrio said. “If someone came up to me and said ‘we want this done what can you do,’ I’d proactively do my best to address that need. But if I don’t have any information, it’s hard for me to do that.”