Recycling in 2011 – how did we go?

Recycling in 2011 – how did we go?

Judging by the astronomical increase in recycling rates and plummeting landfill rates, the answer is pretty well. Results show that the Student Residence Recycling Program, Green Office Program and new Comingled Recycling System are paying sustainability dividends.

In October, students and staff recycled almost 6 tonnes of plastics, cans, glass and packaging – a significant increase from 1 tonne in January this year.

Not only that – this year, landfill decreased 45%, with UWS sending 82 tonnes of waste to landfill in July 2011, compared with 150 tonnes in July 2010.

Thanks to the new comingled recycling bins on the Bankstown, Parramatta and Penrith campuses, comingled recycling rates have increased by 95% for the first six months of 2011 compared to 2010.

The new comingled systems provide away from home recycling opportunities for up to 20,000 students and divert at least 40 tonnes of PET and aluminium cans from landfill each year – enough to fill almost 5,600 household wheelie bins.

Think your contribution is too small to make a difference? Did you know that recycling just one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television for 3 hours?

“We can all make a difference,” says student Lucy Wilkinson, who is developing a Recycling at UWS Action Plan as a group assignment for the unit Education for Sustainability.

“If we all make a personal change in our day to day actions, this will in turn develop into a social change in the attitude towards recycling on campus.”