Over the last century, humankind has damaged the environment more than in the previous 4,000 years. Population growth and massive consumption rates are accelerating the extraction of natural resources, and we are forgetting an essential issue: We live in a finite planet with limited resources. Thus, we should use them wisely.

Recycling is a good way to reduce resource extraction, allowing us to process waste materials into new products. However, this is a complicated issue in Norman.

In OU Traditions Square, there are only two sorting options: General garbage and plastics. Cardboard, paper and glass are not recycled.

I am from Spain, and in Europe, we usually have at least four big containers: plastic, glass, general rubbish, and cardboard and paper.

There are not many opportunities to recycle on the OU campus. The recycling bins are difficult to locate as they are not usually placed close to the trash cans. The trash cans should be replaced with 3-in-1 recycle bin sets with three disposals — paper, plastic and general garbage — to make recycling easier for people.

Plastic is an essential material. Nearly every object that surrounds us has some plastic component, and we must be aware that it takes centuries to break down in a landfill. In 1997, scientists discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch , which is a gyre of litter in the central North Pacific Ocean. Mainly, it is an array of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge and other debris that make up an area the size of Texas. Over the years, the amount of litter in this patch has increased as it has become trapped in strong ocean currents. It is polluting the sea, harming sea life and creating an unsustainable scenario.

There are many activities that can be done to cap plastics. For example, reducing bottled water consumption will help. Bottled water is the best business ever created. Companies fill a plastic bottle from tap water and sell it at a huge cost markup. Advertising has created the idea that bottled water is healthier than tap water, whereas in many cases it isn’t. It is estimated that the U.S. consumes about half a billion bottles of water every week, according to the documentary “The Story of Bottled Water.” Just think about all the damage done by those bottles weekly and what it would be like if we were able to reuse them.

In addition, we should remove the use of plastic bags. When we go to a superstore, we carry our stuff in a cart and from there it goes to the trunk of our cars. Thus, there is no need for plastic bags. We could bring transport trays in our cars to place the products in, and when we arrive home, we could carry our groceries in those environmentally friendly trays. Or we could use cloth bags in much the same way as we now use plastic.

Another good initiative would be if the stores paid a small amount (10 to 20 cents) to costumers for bringing back a bottle after drinking its contents. People would pay only for the beverage and would have a motivation to recycle. In Germany, this system successfully works with glass bottles.

Recycling is very easy, but without convenient ways to properly separate the different materials, it is impossible. Thus, facilitating the task is mandatory to successfully foster collaboration.

Adrian Espallargas is a journalism junior.