HAGERSTOWN-The organizer of a recycling drive this week at Hagerstown Community College hopes the event's success will be the first step in starting a permanent recycling program on campus.
Mylynh Nguyen, president of the HCC Science Club and recycling drive organizer, said club members on Monday set up five 50-gallon recycling bins at HCC's Science Building to raise awareness about the importance of recycling.
The recycling drive was part of Earth Week, an event that directs attention toward environmental issues.
The Science Club encouraged faculty and students to bring in their recyclable glass, plastic and mixed paper, she said. By the end of the day Friday, the bins were full.
Nguyen said club members also monitored trash cans on campus to measure the recycling drive's success.
On Monday, they surveyed the percentage of recyclables in 10 trash cans on campus by digging through the garbage.
One of those trash cans, for example, contained 67 percent of recyclables on Monday, she said. The same trash can contained 15 percent at the end of the week.