Stellenbosch University’s Environmental Sustainability Unit, part of the Facilities Management, is using reusable thermal mugs as an incentive for students to sort their waste correctly.
One of the centenary thermal mugs which are on offer. PHOTO: Mike Wright.
The Facilities Management wants to highlight the importance and the ease of recycling on the Stellenbosch campus, offering a mug for every five bags of recyclable waste.
“I don’t think enough people take [environmentally sustainable practices] seriously, says Tahera Macheka, former sustainability HK for Nemesia. “Recycling, in general, is still a foreign concept that needs to be more enthusiastically introduced.”
While there are demarcated rubbish bins around campus for non-recyclable, compost and recyclable waste, the waste that goes into the bins is often contaminated by food if intended for recycling or contaminated by plastics if intended for composting.
Dannica Pedro, part of the Stellenbosch University Facilities Management, believes that a recycling trend needs to start by getting people interested in proper waste management.
According to her, students walk from class to class and often don’t think that they have time to correctly allocate a bin for their waste. Additionally, not many people recycle at home even though the process’ overall utility outweighs the time spent separating waste.
This mindset will hopefully change once people start realising that it only takes a few extra moments to place the correct items of waste into the correct bin.
“It is very easy for students to manage their plastic,” says Travis Redman (22), an engineering student at SU, “it doesn’t take a lot of time.”
Travis Redman holding the reusable thermal mug that he received after handing in his five bags of recyclable waste at the Swop Shop. PHOTO: Supplied.
Redman has been recycling with his four roommates since the start of the year and jumped at the opportunity to earn thermal mugs on top of what he already thought was his own responsibility.
“Once every two weeks we would take [plastic waste] up to the JS Marais park where they have a recycling facility.”
“I think SU does a good job [of] promoting sustainability; it’s just that students don’t take initiative,” Redman concluded.
Climate degradation is, unfortunately, an issue which needs to have everyone on board. This means that every student needs to become conscious about the quantity and type of waste they produce and how they can change this.
“[The Swop Shop] is a great idea but not too many people know about it. It should be emphasized more by the Green HK’s,” says Macheka.
You can swop your recyclable waste for a thermal mug.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- Collect and sort your dry recyclables in separate bags (i.e plastics, paper, glass etc).
- Arrange with Dannica Pedro (dpedro@sun.ac.za) at Facilities Management to drop off the bag (s).
- For every five bags of recyclable waste delivered, you will receive a thermal mug.
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