Texas A&M University-Texarkana announces grand opening of campus wide recycling program

Texas A&M University-Texarkana students hosted a grand opening today to announce a new recycling program that is being implemented campus-wide. The event was held in the University Center and was attended by students, faculty, staff, as well as representatives from Keep Texarkana Beautiful and Waste Management. 

Ten sets of color coded recycling containers were purchased and they will be distributed to all the buildings on the campus. Each set has three containers: green for paper, red for aluminum cans and blue for plastic bottles. In addition, the university has a six cubic yard dumpster that is used to collect cardboard for recycling. A&M-Texarkana students pay a $5 fee each semester to underwrite the cost of the program. The university has had a limited recycling program in place for several years, but the new program will provide more visibility and will allow the collection of more recyclables. 

The Student Government Association, led by President Edwin Lara was instrumental in developing the recycling program. “We are excited about the recycling program and I want to thank the students for their support in getting it off the ground,” said Lara. A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Emily Cutrer attended the grand opening and is eager for it to get started. “Our campus recycling initiative is truly a student-organized and student-led program and we are extremely proud of their efforts, said Dr. Cutrer. “What better way to learn than by serving?” 

A ceremonial ribbon cutting was held at the end of the program to officially kick-off the recycling program.