Everything in my studio apartment is miniature, from the baby stove to the dinky refrigerator to the ridiculously tiny bathroom sink — everything, that is, except for my trash can.

It’s stuffed with newspapers, food wrappers and soda bottles. I empty it often but with a heavy heart.

Like many other students who reside off campus, I live in a building without recycling facilities.

Although Evanston requires landlords with more than four apartment units to provide residents with a way to recycle, property managers and the students I spoke to seemed confused about the ordinance and who is responsible for removing eco-friendly trash.

Andy Scott, property manager of North Shore Apartments and Condos, said “most” of his buildings offer recycling services for tenants. But he’s not sure why not all of his buildings are covered: He was under the impression that the city handles the program.

“I really don’t know,” Scott said. “I think it has something to do with the building owners and their ability to get city recycling bins.”

Evanston has a central recycling center, located at 2222 Oakton St., that is open only three days a week. But I, like many other off-campus students, do not own a car. And even if I did want to pencil in some time on the weekends to make the trip, the idea of lugging unwieldy trash bags on a bus and dragging them to the center is discouraging, to say the least.

Some students bring their recyclables to campus, but how practical is it for someone to break into a dorm just to drop off their empty soup cans?

I was born to reduce, reuse and recycle. (I’m from Southern California, where smoking is shunned and the pursuit of nice abs is something of a pastime.) In third grade I demanded that my family stop destroying the planet and separate recyclables from the rest of the rubbish.

I still unconsciously rinse out empty spaghetti sauce jars and find myself with neat stacks of paper under my desk. But it all ends up in the same place as the coffee filters and banana peels.

Ben Rottman, an off-campus student, has been trying to figure out a way to recycle for the past month. He even e-mailed aldermen to suggest they force building managers to provide recycling services. His building manager said he was willing to set up a program if Rottman researched service options.

“I wouldn’t consider myself environmentally active,” said Rottman, a Weinberg junior who also hails from California. “But a large part of what I throw out can be recycled. It seems like an easy way to help the environment.”

Recently, a petition circulated through my apartment complex imploring the property owner to fumigate the building for ants. The response was surprisingly swift — the exterminator is scheduled to come this week — but it’s a shame it takes such a concerted effort to ensure a bare necessity.

The onus is on the city to notify property owners and managers about the ordinance and to enforce it. Students shouldn’t have to grovel and beg their landlords for services they are legally required to provide.

What can off-campus students do?

“Call your Alderman,” said Ald. Edmund Moran (6th), when asked. But call your property owner first, and don’t take no for an answer.

You’re paying the rent, after all.

Assistant City Editor Maridel Reyes is a Medill senior. She can be reached at [email protected].