By Liz Sheffield
It’s no secret that recycling is an important part of sustainable waste management and can help reduce the impact we have on the environment. However, it’s making sure that we’re doing it the right way that really counts.
The key to recycling in a way that makes a change is doing it effectively, efficiently and consistently. We recycle to conserve natural resources, reduce energy use, minimize waste, save landfill space and create jobs.
So, if it’s so crucial that we recycle our waste, how does TAFE’s Ultimo campus operate?
Well, several students were interviewed about the recycling resources on campus. One student said that “there’s not any recycling bins around, which I feel like they need to be introduced”.
If you look around, you’ll find that there’s “no services whatsoever” cafeteria staff say. Though there may be a restriction on recycling in a systematic way on campus, the people on campus are “always using whatever they can”, taking this issue into their own hands.
The librarian has “collected a big bag of plastic” at his desk and isn’t sure “what to even do with it”.
Conversely, “The paper recyling is very good” as it’s apart of the contract they said.
Another student commented on the bare minimum that is “Tafe recycling”, saying that “having two bins is some kind of step … but a multiple bin system would be perfect”.
Yet with all this demand for better recycling on campus, why has nothing been done to solve this problem?
Well, after a chat to a TAFE higher-up, it was uncovered that there had been recycling bins previously installed on site. The issue is, though, they are no longer around due to misuse on the students’ end.
Conclusively, it is both the responsibility of the students at TAFE and TAFE itself to come together to bring in better systematic and clearly instructed recycling services.
For the time being, however, we’re encouraged to implement and abide by our own recycling measures. Meaning we take home anything that can’t be recycled on campus to make sure it goes to the correct place.
Click here to learn more about how to recycle in the way that counts.
And to learn about the Do’s and Don’ts of recycling, check out Gig’s social media post on the Off Campus Instagram for some highly valuable and digestible information.
Featured image: Tinsel at TAFE Ultimo Campus on its merry way to landfill. Photo: Liz Sheffield
