“I’ve always kind of been a paper Nazi,” said Ryan Jones, a UW junior in physics. “I do everything on recycled paper.”

Jones is among those students who take recycling seriously. In fact, he’s taken his doctrine of “waste not, want not” to a new level by becoming a member of Students Expressing Environmental Dedication (SEED), a student interest group committed to raising recycling awareness on campus, specifically in the residence halls.

According to Jones, SEED members would like to see the University provide better paper-recycling accessibility in the dorms.

“As far as bottles and cans are concerned, it’s not so bad,” he said. “But the paper and cardboard recycling [facilities] are pretty bad.”

Bins are provided for plastic and aluminum products in the residence halls. However, in order to recycle paper, materials must be disposed of in containers outside the building, out of the average student’s way.

Recycling in the University’s seven residence halls maintains its autonomy from the recycling program on the rest of the campus. Overseen by Housing and Food Services (HFS), it is the University’s only independent recycling program, except for the program managed by the UW Medical Center.

The University has a self-contained recycling program: recyclable waste products collected on campus are taken to the UW recycling facility located in University Village. SEED members would like to see more waste products from the residence halls make their way to the facility.

SEED is a relatively small group — there are about 12 active members — but Jones remains confident the group’s determination will pay off.

His optimism is certainly not discouraged by reports of recent discussions between HFS and the UW Recycling Program concerning a new recycling plan in the residence halls.

HFS Director Paul Brown said while he is aware of discussions taking place, he is not yet sure of the particulars of any new proposals or when a new plan might be implemented.

Clive Pursehouse, resident director for Haggett Hall, who acts as SEED’s adviser, said HFS’s main concern with providing recycling bins for paper indoors is that an excess of paper products in the residence halls could be a fire hazard.

Former SEED adviser Sean Whiting has had some experience with the topic, which he still confronts as the resident director for Lander Hall. He said HFS would have to hire three new custodians and purchase more recycling bins, something that poses a difficult financial barrier.

“The question of recycling in the residence halls is a continual one,” he said. “However, hopefully, this problem is one we can overcome with a little creativity.”