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of plastic the container is is to look on the bottom of the container. Look for a triangle made of arrows with a number printed in the center. If it has a 5, it is a #5 plastic. #1 and #2 plastics are the most popularly recycled plastics, but more and more places are beginning to accept #5s. Vernon said part of his project is to
Every recycle drive, everything’s getting smoother, faster and easier for us. People are excited to learn. It’s very exciting to see people taking part. Joseph Vernon Sustainability Coordinator MSU-N Student Senate
educate people on things like looking for the numbers, rinsing out containers and removing caps of bottles. Many people are still uninformed about the basics of recycling, but it is getting better every day, Vernon said. “Every recycle drive, everything’s getting smoother, faster and easier for us,” Vernon said. “People are excited to learn. It’s very exciting to see people taking part.” Vernon and his team still have to separate the plastics themselves until they receive bins for #5s. He said he will do some mild cleaning of the plastics, but anything with mold, tobacco spit or anything else unsavory, he will toss. The biggest issue for the #5 plastic project is the number of man-hours it takes to separate the plastics, package them and ship them off. There is no shredder or compactor on campus for his team to use, so they are stacking the containers as best they can in boxes. Vernon said he is always looking for more people to join his team at the university. He said anyone interested in helping out may contact him at joseph. vernon1@students.msun.edu. Sustainability team members do get
paid, but there is an emphasis on volunteerism at events like the recycle drives. On the other hand, many classes at MSU-N require community service hours, which volunteering with the sustainability club would fulfill. Otherwise, it looks great on a resume. Vernon said he plans to start giving presentations at the high school and the university to educate people about recycling. He plans on keeping his position as sustainability coordinator at MSU-N until he graduates in the spring semester of 2016. His ultimate goal is to take what he has done for the recycling program at MSU-N and streamline it so whoever takes over will be able to maintain it at the level it has attained.
Vernon said some possible future projects he is considering is creating a community garden or a compost at the university. When asked what advice he would give to those who do not recycle, but are considering it, Vernon suggested experiencing the recycling movement firsthand and educating themselves about the issue. “Anybody who wants to learn more, come to a recycle drive and see how big a deal it is,” Vernon said. At his presentations, Vernon gives examples of what the lack of recycling and littering has done to the ecosystem. “Learn about the negative effects on the planet,” Vernon said. “If that doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what could.”
Havre Daily News/file Joseph Vernon plots his design for the painting of the Hello Walk at Montana State University-Northern in September.
H AV R E D A I LY N E W S
April 2014
LIVING MAGAZINE 25