Wayne State College goes green

Nate Neary, Staff Writer

Wayne State College is helping the surrounding community go green by installing a new recycling program.

C.A.T Bin, the name of the new program, stands for Communities Alternative Trash.

The bin will be located in Lot 10 right across from the beginning of the walking trail.

“So far, it’s going to be able to take the big four; cardboard, aluminum, plastic bottles and paper,” Student Senate President Matt Mullins said. “The only thing we can’t take is glass.”

The bin will have flood lights installed close by so people can drop off their recycables at any time.

“Since it’s 24/7, you want to have it well lit,” Mullins said.

Art majors at WSC will be painting the design.

“There are a couple art students right now that we are working with and they’re going to be painting it,” Mullins said. “The design I’ve seen so far is a mother nature character wearing a gas mask, with tubes coming out of the gas mask and looping around.”

Mullins said that the plan for future designs will be that every five years a competition will be held and the best design will then be painted on the bin.

“The Student Center will decide whose is the best and pay for the supplies, that way it (the image) doesn’t get stale,” Mullins said. “The art students are tremendous; they are helping us so much.”

The recycling effort will be implemented throughout the town, as Student Senate will give out stickers to businesses that participate in the program.

“What business wouldn’t want that sticker in their window?” Mullins said. “Especially if the two or three businesses next to them have those same stickers.”

Mullins said that his hometown of Falls City, NE was the inspiration for his enthusiasm towards recycling.

“In my hometown, there is a recycling drop off, and there wasn’t much in Wayne in terms of recycling,” Mullins said.

According to Mullins, Gill Hauling is under contract with WSC to take away all its trash and recycling. The extra material that is accumulated by this new program will be taken away without any additional fees.

In Mullins’ first term, the campus has added new music to the on-campus radio station, will have three phone charging stations under construction by the end of the year and hopes to have a campus app installed that will allow students to be more informed of activities occurring on campus.

“I think I have to be happy with as far as we’ve come,” Mullins said. “I didn’t feel like I was done and that’s why I felt I had to run for a second term. I wasn’t finished with what I could bring to this college and how I could benefit it.”