When it comes to priorities, reducing, reusing and recycling don’t place very high on most students’ lists.

While they live in dorms, BGSU students recycle more material than any students in the country – they should be applauded for this feat.

The University does an exceptional job of encouraging students to recycle by providing numerous opportunities to recycle.

But without the encouragement the University provides, students lack the motivation to do this.

The city doesn’t do much to pick up the slack as students move from dorms to off-campus apartments.

The city of Bowling Green only provides curb-side recycling pick up to one or two family homes.

Those apartment-dwellers who desire to recycle must take their own initiative and drive materials over to the recycling center on College Drive.

The recycling center is open 24-7, but the fact that students need to drive their own materials to the center hampers their desire to recycle.

In order to provide recycling containers, apartment complexes face the dilemma of raising rent to do so since the cost to provide recycling receptacles is high.

The bottom line is apartment complexes are wary to risk raising rent prices and students lack the motivation.

Both parties need to accept the need for collective responsibility in regard to recycling.

The University has done all it can to make recycling habitual, but as we move off campus, we as students drop the ball.

To create the desired change, we as students need to put pressure on rental companies to place recycling receptacles on apartment property.

In turn, we as students need to be willing to incur the additional costs associated with better access to recycling containers.

We also need to hold the city responsible for its failure to provide recycling pick-up to apartment complexes by voicing our views about this issue at city council meetings Monday nights.

Perhaps though, we at The BG News are wrong in assuming students who live off campus will take the time to ask that recycling receptacles are more readily available.

When there isn’t a recycling container next to every trash can like there is on campus, students don’t think about the importance of recycling – out of sight, out of mind.

It’s time we think about whether the values the University instilled in us are worth upholding.