One of DeKalb’s student aldermen is pleased that the city has one of the best recycling programs in the state but is disappointed with his school’s efforts.

7th Ward Ald. Jeff Monroe said he feels NIU should take a more active role in recycling at the residence halls.

There is a recycling program in the halls run by the Student Association. However, Monroe said the cost and responsibility of a recycling program should lie with the university not the SA.

“The SA was well ahead of the city in establishing a recycling program,” he said. Monroe added that the city should be thankful the SA took such an initiative.

But, Monroe said, “the housing people should make it convenient for students to recycle—as convenient as taking out their trash.”

Monroe said recycling in the residence halls is left to the individual students. The students first must collect the recycled material and then take it down themselves.

1st Ward Ald. Amy Polzin said a floor recycling program depends on someone on that floor wanting to start a program and keep it going.

She said it is easier for the students to participate in a recycling program if one is already established rather than having to start their own.

“The students need some way of getting it to where it needs to go,” Polzin said. “The university should become more pro-active in this.”

She added, “the amount of garbage that is going into the landfills from the university is pathetic.”

Dave Broustis, director of the SA recycling program, said the university has been very responsive to the needs of the program.

He said the program doesn’t cost the SA much because of the aid the university provides for the program. However, he said the program would be better if the SA had more money.

He said it would cost between $30,000 and $40,000 to put recycling bins on every residence hall floor and to cover the cost of collections of these bins.

Patricia Hewitt, assistant director of business operations, said NIU will begin a pilot recycling program in Lowden, Altgeld, Montgomery and Swen Parson halls and Founders Memorial Library. She said the program will begin in April and will recycle mixed paper.

However, Hewitt said NIU was offered a “blanket” recycling program which would include the entire university. But this proposal was rejected because a program like that has many external details which need to be worked out, she said.

NIU would rather develop its own program and eventually expand it to include the residence halls. She said NIU will eventually have only one recycling organization.