Western’s Physical Plant Division has taken steps to reduce the confusion on where and what to recycle.
Now similar to the home service in London, blue bins on campus accept a great variety of materials, no longer leaving our milk cartons and plastics with the ‘4’ and ‘5’ recycling symbols.
Is it enough to get students on track?
The impact on the student body is mixed so far. Peek inside any one of the marked receptacles in the University Community Centre (a building that sees thousands of students each day during the school year), and you will find a mix of carelessly tossed waste and recyclables.
“I consider myself and my roommates to be a pretty careful recyclers at home [in London],” says Brittany Zummer, a third-year student in Management and Organizational Studies. “When I’m on campus, I’m usually too distracted thinking about school or other things to really pay attention whether I’m recycling the proper item or not.”
Although recycling might not be in the forefront of students’ minds while on campus, it doesn’t mean that they don’t care about environmental issues.
Andrew Healey, a fourth-year student in Media, Information and Technoculture, believes Physical Plant’s recent upgrade in the recycling program “is an important step in the right direction.” Healey, who is active in environmental issues, co-organizes Climate Day: Fill the Hill, an event designed to change federal environmental policy.
“Sure, maybe being able to recycle a milk carton on campus isn’t the most exciting thing for students, but it demonstrates Western’s commitment to environmental sustainability, no matter what the cost.”
The writer is a student in the Bachelor of Education program.