It’s important to encourage students & staff at college & university facilities to demonstrate the correct behaviour in order to manage their waste responsibly and understand the benefits of recycling.
When students move to university or college, they often relocate to new cities with unfamiliar recycling rules and slightly different waste streams, which can be confusing and discourage them from recycling.
Many young adults also haven’t seen the importance of developing good recycling habits by the time they start college, so it becomes a shared responsibility to guide and educate them in making recycling a natural part of their lives.
Explore Universities And Colleges Recycling
At Unisan, we believe that recycling on campus is a major contributor to a more sustainable & cleaner environment for everyone. By recycling, students and staff directly contribute to reducing carbon emissions, conserving resources, and combating climate change.
Common Recycling Challenges
Recycling may seem like a super involved, complicated task to students and staff alike. Misunderstandings about what can be recycled and where to dispose of items due to a lack of clear signage can often lead to high contamination rates, which diminish the effectiveness of the recycling process and creates more general waste.
The good news is we know how to promote recycling in an easy and simple way for everyone to understand. Recycling & correct source separation of waste isn’t and shouldn’t be a complicated process. Unfortunately, though, lack of recycling education and proper, easy-to-use infrastructure leads to confusion, contamination and low recycling rates…
At Unisan we simplify recycling on college & university campuses by providing accessible recycling stations with clear, colour-coded signage & specific shape apertures, and tailored recycling education programmes.
When thousands of students and staff members collaborate to recycle, the collective impact is remarkable. For instance, Oxford University, with its 24,000 students and over 13,600 staff, recycles more than 50 tonnes of waste each month, including food waste.
A unified campus recycling programme can make a difference and impact the college or university carbon footprint & sustainability goals.
Why Universities & Colleges Need Recycling Programmes
Universities and colleges are centres of innovation, growth, and learning, and they should be the first ones to promote sustainable habits for future generations.
The main reason why having a solid recycling programme is necessary on campus:
Environmental Impact
Universities and colleges produce large amounts of waste steams daily, most of which are recyclable. With a comprehensive recycling programme, universities and colleges can reduce waste from going to landfill and incineration, conserving resources, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Cost Savings
Recycling can also help to lower waste disposal costs by reducing the volume of rubbish sent to landfill or incineration as general waste.
Community & Reputation
Today’s students are more environmentally conscious than ever. Universities and colleges committed to sustainability tend to attract more prospective students, especially as environmental issues become more important.
An active recycling programme demonstrates a commitment to ecological responsibility and can enhance a university’s and college’s reputation as a forward-thinking, sustainable institution.
What Recycling Means for Students and Staff
Recycling on universities and colleges directly benefits students and staff, creating a healthier, more engaged community.
Empowerment & Awareness
Recycling programmes make it easy for students and staff to contribute to sustainability daily. Recycling stations, educational training, and awareness campaigns help everyone understand their role in reducing waste and protecting the planet.
Convenience & Accessibility
When recycling stations are placed strategically across campus in high-traffic areas, recycling becomes second nature. This accessibility reduces confusion and makes recycling an easy habit for everyone.
Sense Of Community & Engagement
Campus recycling programmes unite students and staff toward a shared goal. Sustainability clubs, green teams, and community events can further boost recycling awareness and foster collaboration across departments and student groups.
How to Make Recycling Easy and Effective on Campus
Start by educating everyone about what materials can and cannot be recycled.
Focus on helping them all understand the importance of avoiding contaminants, such as food-stained paper, broken glass,food waste & liquids as these can spoil entire batches of recyclable waste if not disposed of correctly.
Get started with a tailored training session to increase engagement with systematic recycling practices.
Recycling education without proper recycling infrastructure in place is meaningless..
Select the right recycling stations for your campus. Knowing that universities and colleges have unique waste needs, our recycling stations can be fully customised for specific waste types commonly found in these institutions, such as plastics and food in cafeterias and paper and cans in study areas. Strategically placing recycling stations in key locations helps make recycling convenient for everyone.
No matter what recycling stations you choose, ensure you keep consistency across campus to avoid confusion and make recycling an intuitive experience. You can do this with tailored branding options, colour coded signage, and clear, consistent graphics. When recycling stations look familiar and are easy to find, students and staff are more likely to use them correctly and consistently.
Also, consider adding CafeCrush Reverse Vending Machines to engage students and staff with recycling in a simple and fun way. You can reward users for recycling. Each bottle recycled can trigger a small donation to charity, cashback, or another incentive of your choice.
And, it’s important to not forget your outdoor spaces..
Evolve Outdoor Recycling Bins are designed for outdoor use, helping to keep high-traffic green spaces clean and litter-free. These weather-resistant bins are ideal for busy outdoor areas, providing convenient recycling options and keeping the campus tidy.
Finally, to solidify your efforts and help promote and increase recycling across your university and college, be creative and consider forming Green Teams. Green teams, made up of students and staff, play a key role in promoting eco-friendly initiatives, raising awareness, and organising recycling events. These teams help create a strong sense of community focused on sustainability, and their efforts can be pivotal in encouraging everyone on campus to recycle consistently.
Universities and colleges produce great amounts of waste daily, and while much of it can be recycled, the lack of education, clear infrastructure and guidelines can lead to low recycling rates and high contamination levels, which disrupt the recycling process.
Unisan’s mission is to create an organised, efficient recycling system that makes it easy for students and staff to participate, creating lasting habits that will benefit the planet in the long run.
No need to keep delaying efficient recycling, talk to one of our experts today. Contact us.