Actually ignore that headline. Although we use them all the time and our work towards zero waste really does feel like a losing battle at times, I think we should stop using military metaphors in a school devoted to peace-building. The more we think and talk about things as a fight then the more likely we are to get a fightback! We are trying to build more positive systems for a better world, not aggressively smash old ones..as much as we might feel we need to. So here are some updates on our success and some challenges, sorry new opportunities for progress that we need some help with.
Re-usables replace disposables :)
Since August our Cup for Life Scheme and encouragement to BYO has now saved over 100,000 disposable bio-plastic and paper cups from incineration. By September this year it will be nearly a quarter of a million - that’s a reduction of about 2.5 tonnes of garbage leaving the campus per year! This bold decision to remove disposable cups by our Operations Department and Sodexo (after great campaigning and proven trials in re-use systems by our student environmental groups and parent organisers) has lead to this staggering achievement. Thanks to all our community for embracing our work towards zero-waste…look what you achieved!
Packaged drinks on the increase :(
Our pride at this success should be somewhat tempered by the big increase in sales of packaged drinks for those not yet in the BYO habit. Juice and Milo cartons, cans and plastic bottled drinks such as Yakult remain the ‘convenient’ choice at our cafes. So even though our recycling rates for cartons are up to a remarkably high 50% at Dover thanks to the efforts of the Green Campus team - they recycled a record 2000 cartons last week - we now lose about about the same amount a week to the incinerator. And of course the plastic straws cannot be recycled and these and their plastic wrapping is the most likely to be blown away as litter into our gardens and drains. Our Eco-Rangers found this in a recent survey:
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| 15 mins - 131 straw wrappers on the ground. |
Ironically the fact that people see the cartons as recyclable means they buy more, especially as we have removed disposable cups as alternatives this year. Unfortunately, Green Campus team is now struggling to cope with the increased volume and we are worried too that our fantastic recycling partner the Buddha Tzu Chi Foundation, will not be able to process all these cartons, especially with the crackdown on importing recycling waste in Asia. While we are working with Sodexo to phase most of these packaged drinks out soon, we need to spread the message that REDUCE and RE-USE is always preferable to recycle. It takes a lot of energy to recycle any packaging. It takes almost zero-energy to bring your own cup.
More waste from food deliveries :(
The rising trend in use of food delivery services is countering our community’s efforts toward zero waste. Statistics collected by LEAF GC show as many as 25 motorbikes per day waiting at the guardhouse with multiple orders and all in packaging which cannot be recycled (it’s too contaminated by oils and sugar). Yes, this is all heading for the incinerator. These companies seem more concerned about grabbing our growing market than they do about the waste: Their profit, our problem…..they’re loving’ it!
So here’s the message we need to send out to the community:
Cut the Cartons, Ditch the Deliveroo.
#morelovelesswaste.
