Junior Kameron Conforti and his roommate were putting some of his trash in a recycling bin on Wednesday night when he was approached by students who asking them to reveal the materials inside their bags.
The students were members of the university's Green Team participating in a recycling event called "Dump the Night," in which they and members of the Residence Life Environmental Sustainability Committee stood near dumpsters and filmed students answering questions about recycling when they came to throw out their trash.
Conforti said he was happy to be featured in their documentary, which he thinks will help motivate students to recycle more often.
"I thought it was really cool to be featured in the documentary," Conforti said. "The cameras made me think a little more."
Students from the Green Team, a student group that promotes sustainability practices and represents each residence hall on campus, sorted through trash hoping to educate others about what could be recycled. They pointed out which items belonged in the recycling and those that could not be reused.
The Green Team was created two years ago when students from the Dickinson Complex started a team and Residence Life decided to extend this independent student-run group once it gathered more members. The department's Environmental Sustainability Committee monitors the group and helps them organize events to promote campus-wide sustainability.
"It's cool because it's students figuring out exactly what they want to do for the school," said Rebecca Krylow, Residence Life sustainability chair.
Green Team member and junior Brittany Wagner said many people don't realize that most water bottles are not completely recyclable. She said the plastic bottle itself is often reusable, but their caps shouldn't be placed in the bin.
"It's difficult to crush the bottles at the recycling center when they're filled with air and pressure, and they're a different component than the water bottles," Wagner said.
While Green Team students examined people's trash, they also asked participants questions about sustainability and recycling and offered prizes such as reusable water bottles and grocery bags.
Conforti said he and his roommate, who routinely recycle, drink water from their own reusable bottles instead of plastic disposable containers.
"[During my] freshman year, I bought a bunch of disposable water bottles," he said. "It was actually sickening seeing how much trash I made."
Karina Martinez, the chair adviser for the university's sustainability committee, taped the event for a documentary on sustainability.
"I feel sustainability is such a harsh word that I wanted to capture the young generation caring about it," Martinez said.
She plans to use the video to inform students of university initiatives regarding sustainability.
"The university does a great job," Martinez said. "But it's them putting it out there, and students searching for it—everyone needs to meet halfway."
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