Top 4 Recycling Tips for University Students

It’s difficult to pass judgment on recycling efforts and which people do the best job of reducing the amount of waste they generate. It’s nearly impossible to live one’s life without generating some amount of waste, and unfortunately, most of us will never end up having a net positive impact on the environment. The trick is to minimize the negative impact that we do have. Certain phases of our lives place greater pressure on the environment, and our university years, while frugal, are some of the worst in certain respects. Below are 4 tips to help you, as a university student, manage and improve your recycling habits.

Plastic Bottles

All of the running around and minute-to-minute living on campus is tiring. Add to that the importance of staying hydrated and no one is going to blame you for carrying water around with you at all times. But, it’s the container that you carry it in that makes the difference. Instead of buying a new bottle of water every day, or even reusing a disposable plastic bottle multiple days in a row, you would be better served, both in terms of your environmental footprint, as well as financially, investing in a high quality metal, or hard plastic water bottle. Find something that you can take to and from class because disposable bottles are terrible!

Use the Back of Handouts to Take Notes

The amount of paper that your average university student is given and asked to print is startling. Not everyone has a laptop that they can take to class, meaning that many students still have to handwrite notes, and some may even find it more effective. When you are given a series of one-sided, hard copy handouts, use the back to take notes. It will let you keep track of what notes correspond to which handouts, and you decrease the amount of new paper you are using.

Plastic Bags

If you are a university student who brings a packed lunch with them every day, make sure that you are getting the longest life possible out of the plastic bags that you are bringing the food in. That plastic grocery store bag, if you take care of it, should last many, many lunches. When disposing of the bag, find out whether or not your campus has plastic bag recycling bins. Keeping plastic bags out of landfills, and out of the earth’s ecosystems (particularly oceans) is paramount.

Buy Second Hand When you can

This is not something that most frugal university students need to be told twice, but it is worth reiterating. Buying a book second hand not only saves you money, but it decreases the demand for new books and new paper. The more you can get out of the “used” economy during your university career, the smaller your environmental footprint will be by the end of it.

While it is certainly near impossible to completely eliminate waste from your life, there is no reason why, with a conscientious effort, you can’t get it down to the lowest level possible. While many universities have made considerable efforts to make their operations more green, university life is still far from it. Incorporate the above 4 tips into your daily life as a university student, and do your part for the environment and save money. Want to live an even more greener life? Visit our blog to learn about the top 6 foods you can eat for optimal brain function and productivity.

References:

(2010). “Waste Prevention Tips for Students.” University of Michigan. Retrieved from: http://plantops.umich.edu/grounds/recycle/student_waste_prevention.php

(2017). “The Importance of Staying Hydrated.” Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from: http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-staying-hydrated