It's a collection of what Helena drinks -- Diet Pepsi, Diet Pepsi Twist, Coke and Diet 7 UP.

Throw in a few Milwaukee's Best and Icehouse tall boys, and this pile of aluminum junk is getting deep.

But at the Pacific Steel and Recycling center, where metal refuse glints in the sun and rebar is a precious commodity, one man's empty beer can will someday become another man's brand new beer can.

To aid in the reuse of Helena's refuse, a group of Carroll College crusaders buckled down Monday for Earth Day, heading east to Pacific Steel to do their monthly part in reducing consumer waste.

For seniors Jason DeShaw, Greg Morgan and Matt Elsaesser, changing throwaway habits is an enticing motivator.

"Our mission is to get people to think and to establish this as habit so it becomes a cultural thing," said Elsaesser, co-chair of Carroll's SAVE (Student Advocates for Valuing the Environment). "We want to help make the connection that we can recycle and make a difference. It's something we can do."

The odd trio of crusaders --n one looking like a cowboy singer (he is for real), one a football player, and one a modern-day hippie --n climbed aboard their 1950s Chevy truck, known around campus as the "Savemobile," and drove off with their garbage in tow.

Complete with its dented front fender and squeaky door, the old truck has given new life to Carroll's recycling efforts. It has also proven to be a monster workhorse, often filled to the gills with the school's discarded newspapers, print paper, cans, cardboard and glass.

While garbage bags leaked sugary goop from cans of Ruby Red Squirt and Dr. Pepper, the three students made easy work of the job. Chances are, Edward Abbey was grinning in his grave.

"One of the biggest things is our relationship to the earth," Elsaesser said, reading the drop-off receipts passed back by Pacific Steel. "We dropped off about 665 pounds of paper, 341 pounds of newspaper, 44 pounds of cardboard and 22 pounds of cans."

That, plus 200 pounds of glass, Elsaesser said, is a good estimate of what the campus recycles every two weeks.

While 65 percent of aluminum cans are now being recycled, American consumers and businesses are still tossing out 3.1 million tons of aluminum -- enough to rebuild the nation's entire commercial air fleet -- every three months, the EPA reports.

When it comes to plastic, there's a use for that, too -- new pipes, toys, carpet, pillows and sleeping bags to name a few.

But while the rate of plastic soda-bottle recycling rose from 33 percent in 1990 to 50 percent in 1994, the EPA said plastic still accounts for more than 22 percent of the volume filling U.S. municipal waste sites.

"Recycling faces a great number of challenges," Elsaesser said.

That, he added, requires SAVE to look at new ways to increase campus recycling.

Now in its third year under student leadership, SAVE recently launched an effort to recycle used printer cartridges.

The group also has deals with several downtown businesses -- like the Real Food Store, The Bagel Company, and Action Prints -- to cart off reusable items that may otherwise end up in the trash. It's looking to expand a downtown "business loop" to increase community recycling efforts.

The group also launched a new Web page at www.Carroll.edu, and it has an enticing list of events lined up for Earth Day to increase community awareness.

Reporter Martin Kidston

can be reached at 447-4086, or by e-mail at mkidston@helenair.com.