Recycling Around Campus Research Proposal

Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University has made strides to make the campus more eco-friendly and

help students become more conscientious when it comes to recycling. What I would like to know

is how effective these measures are. I would like to do some research and conduct studies on

whether the students here at EMU think campus is as ecological as the university claims it is.

Tying into that, a more specific topic I will focus on is; should there be more recycling bins

around Eastern Michigan University’s campus?

I try to be as eco-friendly as possible, but I don’t go to extremes. I care about recycling an

average amount, so my research will not be biased one way or another. I can see both sides of the

argument in regards to if we should increase the amount of recycling bins or not. This is crucial

to get accurate information and seeing it from a statistical standpoint. I do find this topic very

interesting and I would like to delve deeper into the subject. So I propose that I start research on

whether EMU should have more recycling bins around campus or not.

Significance of The Problem

Around campus, garbage is thrown around everywhere. The amount of litter around

campus can be resolved by making recycling bins more accessible to students. Additionally,

garbage receptacles are placed throughout campus with no recycling options in sight. This

creates an issue where recyclable items are thrown in with other waste and taken to landfills

instead of being repurposed. Pollution isn’t just affecting the aesthetics of our surroundings, but
it is also harming natural habitats for animals both on land and at sea, and creating an overall bad

environment for flora as well.

With this issue, I would like to see other student’s take on it. In addition to that, getting to

know how important the students feel about it. Some students may not see any issues with the

litter on campus whereas many others are very upset about it. As I stated earlier, I am in between,

so getting to see both sides will help with the studies. It all depends on how the people of Eastern

Michigan University see the situation if there even is one at all. Overall, this research is to

benefit not only the university, but everyone here.

Conducting Studies

For getting some information on how this impacts students, I will create a brief survey

and do a random sampling around campus. I will have a few questions on a scale from 1 to 5

asking about the students opinions on the issues. I will also leave room for if the students have

something they would like to mention that was not asked. Here are some examples of what I will

be asking:

● On a scale from 1-5, 1 being “Not Very Important” and 5 being “Very Important”; How

important is recycling to you personally?

● On a scale from 1-5, 1 being “Not Very Eco-Friendly” and 5 being “Very Eco-Friendly”;

How ecological do you think EMU’s campus is?

● On a scale from 1-5, 1 being “Not Very Important” and 5 being “Very Important”; How

important do you think it is to increase accessibility of recycling receptacles?

● Any concerns worth mentioning?

 These are all working questions, and I will brush them up once I have approval to

conduct research. These are just some ideas from my pre-planning phase. For now, these

questions are what I will be focusing on for the survey portion of the research. I might change

some or add more, but my main goal is to really focus on as narrow of a topic as possible. I feel

like that would be the most effective way to get the crucial information for my research.

Facts and Statistics

I will be gathering my information not only through survey, but through readings and

studies. I have done some light pre-researching, and found several different resources for the

facts and statistics to help support the work. Many are scholarly articles, and many are reputable

sources. I will look into reports and information from the school. I haven’t dug too deep into this

yet, but I know that I can find the data to help support the studies.

I know a good resource is the Environment Complete database for information on

recycling and environmental factors. In my pre-research I have found several articles in regards

to recycling. Another great resource to look into is ERIC for topics related to the university. On

the same note, checking the school’s database is also helpful. As mentioned earlier, I didn’t do

much digging into yet, but I believe I will have many great resources for my research. So far, all

have been found on the Eastern Michigan Library Research Guides website.

BOSSI

I am reaching out to you because I am seeking your approval to start my research on

whether Eastern Michigan University needs more recycling bins or not. My research will have
the best intentions to gather factual information and getting to know other student’s views. I

believe the outcome will be beneficial to the university. This way EMU can see if they are in

good standing on this topic or if they need improvement. Either way, this project cannot go any

further without your help. Please take my research proposal into consideration to better Eastern

Michigan University. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you for your time,

Alyssa Saladino

asaladin@emich.edu