Yesterday was Earth Day! Consider all the trash left by stoners on 4/20. As wonderful as it is to appreciate the life we live on Earth, it’s necessary to appreciate our surroundings, such as Memorial Glade, so that future students can also get lit. We understand that the things you’re supposed to throw in each corresponding bin are labeled on the trash cans themselves, but after a while, it’s safe to assume that we stop paying attention. Here’s a convenient breakdown of where to put your common disposables:
Food wrappers from The Golden Bear café
Depending on whether you get a quesadilla or a CLIF Bar, you’ll most likely be throwing your trash in either the “compost” bin or the “landfill” bin. A good way to remember which bin to chuck your leftovers in is to ask yourself, “Would a hungry worm or select detritivore eat this?” If the answer is yes, then throw it away in the compost bin. If the answer is no, then throw it away in the landfill bin.
Boba cups
Reuse them! You would be lying if you said you’ve never felt guilty for throwing away a TeaOne cup. Those things are no joke. If it isn’t from TeaOne, we understand your urgency to get rid of any reminder of a mistake, so go ahead and throw the cup away in a bin labeled “plastics.”
Yerba mate cans
This trendy drink has been sweeping the student populace. With that, comes many, many empty cans. You could choose to dispose of them in the “cans/bottles” bin, but if you want to be super cool, consider starting a yerba mate can collection to impress your friends with the next time they come over for a homework party. Disclaimer: This will only work if your friends don’t drink yerba mate or don’t consume any caffeine in general.
Your GPA
This is urgent. To prevent the rot from spoiling what’s left of college, consider tossing it in the “landfill” bin. This way, there is little to no chance of it coming back to you in a recycled form. If you use the landfill bin, then your GPA is almost guaranteed to end up in a different city.
Your roommate’s clothes that end up on your side
You swear to never have owned that Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt that is sadly splayed across your side of the room. It looks like it barely fits your roommate. With that in mind, you’d be doing your roommate a favor to get rid of it. Since we are talking about clothing here, the safest bet to get rid of the trash would be to donate it or even better, turn it into a doormat.
Your old significant other’s Spotify playlist
Sure, there was a time when you both shared a common taste in music, but you both have inevitably become more distant over time. The appeal of certain artists has fled your now more sophisticated palette. In hindsight, you realize that if your relationship had been based on music alone, breaking up would’ve been for the better. We recommend you place the playlist in the “recycle” bin to avoid karma and so you can look forward to new relationships with new opportunities to discover different music.
If you would like more in-depth information about proper trash disposal, please refer to this wonderful article written by the campus Student Environmental Resource Center!