When I moved into my first apartment in Cheney, I was shocked.

The city of Cheney does not have a recycling waste system; however, they do have a recycling center on Anderson Road that my roommate informed me about.

It pleases me to know Eastern Washington University recycles, yet I am astounded toward the lack of reasoning behind Cheney’s inability to fund a proper recycling waste system throughout the various neighborhoods and apartment buildings.

The fact that I see numerous students and families throwing away cardboard boxes, piles upon piles of paper, as well as beer cans and bottles, peeves me.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. citizens throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars every year. In addition, these same citizens make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year; these numbers are continuing to rise with the population increase.

The Cheney Recycling Center, a substantial alternative, needs to be recognized and used to everyone’s advantage to reduce environmental problems in relation to trash and landfill waste.

Students who live in Cheney, even for a short duration of time while they attend university, need to learn proper recycling habits, such as separating items that can be recycled, using the recycling center to minimize their carbon footprint and limiting the level of carbon dioxide emissions specific individuals emit.

Recognizing certain negative habits and learning the reasoning behind them can evoke a change into healthier habits that keep the Earth, and people’s wallets, happy.

In addition, if Cheney set up a weekly recycling system – meaning they pick up the recyclable waste – Cheney would save money, in relation to the cost of waste, and cause the community to be more environmentally friendly.

This is an immense opportunity for Cheney to be recognized as taking a step in the right direction regarding recycling and waste management.