Water isn’t recyclable
Walking around the ASU Downtown campus, I noticed there are numerous landfill and recycle waste bins within hundreds of feet of each other. When we throw our recyclables away at school, are they actually recycled? And what can actually be recycled?
ASU’s Business and Finance Zero Waste page under the ‘Facilities’ tab, states it “aims to achieve zero solid waste, which results in a 30 percent waste reduction and 90 percent diversion from the landfill.”
There are a variety of items, some you may have not even known, that are recyclable. These include: chip bags, wrappers, coffee capsules, wood scraps, metal, shoes, electronics, pens and more.
With the notable blue bins across campus, it is hard to miss them. They even showcase what can and can not be thrown into the bin.
One thing to note is the ‘No ice, liquids, food and napkins’ figure to the right. I had no idea you couldn’t throw away plastic with liquid or ice in it. Best — to finish drink completely, or dump out remainder liquid/ice before recycling.
I have been guilty of tossing my Starbucks drink away with melted ice and having some hesitation of if that would still make it recyclable. I should have trusted my gut.
The Zero Waste Team would not be proud of me… well neither am I. However, one way to make them proud is if you notice a need for a blue bin around campus, a request can be sent on the ‘Services’ department of the Zero Wast page.
One cool feature for student who live on campus is that they are able to request blue bins for their residence hall. An innovative way for Sun Devils to be proactive in the Zero Waste movement.
There are also more ways for Sun Devils to be a part of the team. The Dine Healthy be Healthy event held on the Downtown campus October 16 will “helps Sun Devils make healthy decisions on the foods they purchase,” the website states. This is also an opportunity for in which the Zero Waste Team makes the event zero waste.
But, dining isn’t the only way the Zero Waste Teams gets involved, athletics play a role. They do so, “with waste diversion at all Tempe campus athletic venues. Each ASU sport commits to hosting one green game per season,” also stated on the website.
I always knew ASU was big in sustainability (hence the school and degree offered), but I did not know how dedicated they were to making a lot of events zero waste.
ASU makes it hard for students to NOT have a reason to recycle and be a part of the Zero Waste Team. With blue bins everywhere on all campuses, and events to help be healthy along with adding zero waste, any Sun Devil has the opportunity to help their campus and ultimately the world by going green, even in the smallest forms.
