The office of Waste Reduction and Recycling held “Landfill on the Lawn,” a University- sponsored event to celebrate America Recycles Day, Tuesday afternoon on Owen Beach. The event’s main attraction was a Sociology 440 class putting on protective suits and gloves to dig through the trash from a University trash bin.

Ryan Powell, a second year graduate student in resource economics and education and outreach coordinator for the office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, labeled the trash dig a “waste audit,” in which students sorted the trash into three piles: waste, reusable items and recyclable material.

Kelly Dennings, the education project manager for RE3, a recycling marketing campaign, said she approved of the event.

“It makes me happy — everyone should dig through their own garbage,” she said.

RE3 sponsored an informational booth, which provided facts about recycling and surveys for students.

Dennings indicated she was disappointed with the responses to the surveys, which showed that only 10 out of 80 students had heard of RE3.

“It could have been better, but 10 is better than none,” she said.

According to Dennings, RE3 is an North Carolina recycling marketing campaign, which targets the 18-24 age demographic.

“[RE3] tries to educate and inform people about recycling,” she said.

Powell labeled the event “the fall equivalent of Earth Day” and dubbed it a success.

“The comments are really good, people take notice of a landfill in the middle of [Owen] Beach,” he said.

This is not the first year of the event, but this was Powell’s first year of involvement.

He said his organization is working “to extend recycling beyond the typical aesthetic argument over dumps and landfills, to the social, economic and ecological impact of waste.”

With a grin, Powell noted the educational benefits of digging through the garbage.

“There were lots of interesting morsels of learning to be had,” he said.

According to Powell, one of the main items found in the trash bin was recyclable alcohol containers. As to why the containers were so abundant, Powell stated that some students may fear legal punishment if caught with the containers.

“People would rather dispose of their alcohol containers in black bags than recycle them,” he said.

Bianca M. Bradford, the Solid Waste Services community educator specialist for the city of Raleigh, was also present at the event.

According to Bradford, her organization provided free giveaways, including clipboards, T-shirts, mugs and tote bags — all made from recycled materials.

“[The event was] a great opportunity for students to see how much of what we think of as trash is actually waste,” Bradford said.

The student turnout for the event was “great,” according to Powell.

“A lot of students are really interested in sustainability,” he said.

Another program Powell said his office is working on is to provide “earth machines:” black plastic compost containers for students who want them.

Powell said the “overarching” goal of his office is sustainability on the campus.

He mentioned a University compost site on Lake Wheeler Road which provides a substantial amount of the mulch that is used around campus.

Powell said his office aims to eventually accept food waste from the cafeterias and students for compost as well.