Students and College Park residents enjoy the nightlife at RJ Bentley’s on Tuesday, June 17.

Although this university’s sustainability efforts garnered enough student support to divert 78 percent of waste from landfills through recycling and composting in 2013, students are often unable to follow those efforts at off-campus establishments.

University students Annie Rice and Ori Gutin are moving forward this semester with plans to expand recycling initiatives off the campus to Route 1, especially at bars.

“Many students don’t aim their drinks into a receptacle, and if the receptacles were changed from trash to recycling, people would have no choice but to put it in the right bin,” said Rice, a sophomore environmental science and policy major and director of city affairs for the Student Sustainability Committee.

In a College Park recycling survey sent to businesses in June, about half of the 109 businesses that responded did not recycle at least one item such as glass and plastic containers, aluminum cans, steel cans, paper, cardboard and wooden pallets. Rice and Gutin aim to encourage establishments to at least provide bins for patrons to separate the trash.

Rice sent a letter to each bar in the city earlier this semester to address these ideas. Rice and Gutin, director of the Student Government Association’s sustainability committee, then met with city and county officials Friday to start developing a plan of student action to work in conjunction with city and county plans.

“It’s really an attempt to connect with city residents and council members to establish a better relationship with the city for sustainability,” Rice said.

Looney’s Pub has committed to the proposed initiative, and Terrapin’s Turf has verbally committed, Rice said.

“When we got approached about it by the school, we said, ‘Sure, why not?’” said Justin Moorman, the kitchen manager at Looney’s Pub. “If we are going to start having to do it, then why not take the school’s help?”

College Park offered a $25,000 recycling grant for businesses and multi-family properties this year, giving the establishments a chance to purchase recycling dumpsters, compaction equipment, interior storage containers or recycling infrastructure. The application closed Sept. 8, with two College Park businesses applying. The ad hoc committee recommended that the City Council award $2,300 to the Clarion Inn and $4,000 to the Quality Inn, which has to meet the grant with $1,000.

Loree O’Hagan, College Park recycling coordinator, recommended the grant application reopen for city businesses in January so they can apply for the remaining $18,700.

“The county bill doesn’t actually require them to recycle, but to just provide recycling opportunities,” O’Hagan said. “So even if recycling containers are there, are the businesses going to use them?”

As a part of the county recycling program, the Prince George’s County Council passed a bill requiring all businesses and multi-family properties to provide recycling facilities. Although the county sent notices to local businesses, many of them have not followed through with a recycling plan, said Vaughn Barkdoll, an inspector in the county’s recycling section.

“There has been written notices to people about the new mandate,” Barkdoll said. “But it’s going to take some time to get to all 26,000-something [businesses] in the county.”

When Jan. 1 arrives, businesses that have not submitted a recycling plan will receive fines up to $1,000, Barkdoll said.

R.J. Bentley’s and Cornerstone Grill and Loft owners cited in a previous meeting with Rice that limited space was inhibiting them from providing recycling opportunities, Rice said.

“We would have to separate [the bottles for recycling] honestly,” said Chris Wood, the general manager at Cornerstone. “It will make things more difficult in the end, but obviously it is good for the environment and we do what we can to help out.”

More than half of the 548 students at this university asked in an SGA-sponsored survey said they were more likely to spend money at bars that recycle than at those that do not.

Rice and Gutin aim to have all bars on board with the recycling initiative after winter break, hoping that will help spread the efforts to smaller businesses in the area.

“You want to shoot high and hit the big ones first and then trickle down,” Barkdoll said. “And by the time you trickle down, the smaller ones have heard what’s going on and that there is enforcement, you’ll see more compliance.”