Boston University supposedly wants its students to participate in the recycling movement, but recycling at BU is not an easy feat. Students need to step up and prove that they want to recycle their old newspapers, and the university needs to reciprocate by easing the recycling burden.

It is easier to find a trash can in dormitories on campus than it is to find a recycling bin. Why is it more convenient to throw something away than recycle it? There are, after all, large, communal trash cans in the dorm hallways. Their purpose is simple: When your small trash bin in your room becomes full, you empty it into the larger one. It is in a nearby place, for your convenience.

But there is no recycling bin by its side. The recycling bins are usually found on the first floor in the large dormitories — Warren Towers, West Campus and Shelton Hall — or on the sides of apartments in South and East campuses.

Still, BU has made progress. Offering recycling bags to students since 2005 is a good step. Recycling rooms have also been added to the major dormitories, with a specific place for students to toss their paper and plastic. But if you want to encourage recycling, make recycling as easy as throwing out the trash. Adding a recycling bin to every floor, along with trash cans would be good.

Also, since college ranking companies like Kaplan are now adding green initiatives into their scales, it could definitely do BU some good to be friendlier to Mother Earth. BU is an institution of higher learning, and the administration constantly wants the university to improve and be a leader in other institutions. Aiding students in their attempts to recycle would definitely keep BU’s name high on ranked lists.

Students also need to play their part and make the effort to recycle. Use the recycling bags, and for now, make the trek to the bottom of their building to toss the recycled goods into the larger bin. If students really do want to take the time to “go green,” starting in a dorm room is a good step. Take that soda can out of the trash and put it into a recycling bin.