A campus charity group that encourages student recycling reached a milestone Friday.

The Protectors of the Planet, a group that started collecting cans in buildings around campus almost a year ago, has now raised $300, said president Shyam Goswami, senior in civil engineering.

Goswami said the group was formed to start getting more items recycled on campus, starting with soda cans. The group is raising money for Emergency Residence Project, 225 S. Kellogg, a homeless shelter.

He said the biggest pick-up point for cans is at the Memorial Union, which is picked up daily, while buildings such as Town Engineering are only collected bi-weekly. Goswami said there was a collection bin in the Hub, but the cans were being repeatedly stolen, so the collection point was moved elsewhere.

He said the biggest problem has been that more than cans have been making it into the collection bins. Goswami said when he takes the bags back to the Ames Area Redemption Center, 1822 E. Lincoln Way, the liquid at the bottom is very disturbing. He said he also finds milk containers, forks, spoons and brown bags, among other things, in the collection bins.

“Sometimes the liquid in the bottom of the bag is a really weird color and you wonder where it comes from,” he said.

While Goswami and the Protectors of the Planet are focusing on the buildings on campus, the Government of the Student Body has created an environmental committee that will establish a recycling program for the residence halls.

Lorin Neuman-Lee, off-campus senator and chairwoman of GSB’s environmental committee, said she doesn’t want to take away from charities such as Protectors of the Planet.

“Our goal is to have a really diverse recycling program in the residence hall,” said Neuman-Lee, senior in biology.

She said the recycling program will begin in February.

Neuman-Lee said her committee is conducting a survey Thursday to determine what students plan to recycle the most. She said after the surveys have been compiled, the committee will put together a report for Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance.

“We’d like to see different groups be involved and sponsor different collection points,” Neuman-Lee said.

She said she would like to eventually move the program outside of the residence halls.

“We would like to expand the program to campus, but definitely don’t want to step on any toes,” Neuman-Lee said.

Goswami said there are buildings that already have collection tubs for specific groups. He said if these groups want to donate cans to his organization, he would be happy to accept them and pass the money on to the Emergency Residence Project.