the UW Sustainability blog
You're probably already familiar with the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And when we think about if something can be recycled, we usually think of the material as the main factor. Paper, check. Metal, check. Glass, check. Easy! Well, we'd love it if it was that easy. What determines if an item can be successfully recycled is actually more complicated. This is why recycling can seem so confusing.
Adam Fehn is a Program Coordinator for UW Recycling. He took a personal challenge to go plastic-free during the month of July.
Post by Gabrielle Coeuille, UW Recycling Waste Diversion & Reduction Intern
When we go to the grocery store, it’s hard to avoid plastic. From produce, to meat, to dairy - packaging is everywhere. Plastic has become so entwined with our food system that it is hard to remember a time when all your seasonal berries didn’t come in a carton that lasts practically forever. So I asked myself this question:
As July hits the Pacific Northwest, it means more sun, more time outside and for sustainable-minded folks, less plastic. Join UW Recycling, UW Sustainability and the WholeU in lowering our plastic waste during Plastic Free July.
Check Out UW Recycling’s Top Movie and Book Recommendations
The UW Recycling team has put together a list of books and movies we love that teaches us more about the world of waste. Best of all, they are (nearly) all available with a Netflix account, library card, or flat out free!
What an unconventional year for RecycleMania! UW Recycling planned several campaigns including events encouraging reusable mug/tumbler use and a clothing repair workshop. However, these events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington.
As part of RecycleMania, UW Recycling hosted a Trash Art Contest where UW students and staff submitted art pieces made of trash, recyclable and salvage materials. Three winners were chosen based on the criteria of: originality/creativity, theme of sustainability, material usage and relevance to personal and/or UW campus waste.
Reducing the amount of waste we produce and diverting material to recycling and compost is a major aspect of sustainability. Although you don’t have access to all the campus resources, you can still stay sustainable while teleworking.
RecycleMania starts this week at the University of Washington! For the eighth year, the UW will be participating in the friendly recycling competition.
As part of RecycleMania, UW Recycling will be organizing events and activities to promote waste reduction with campus partners.
Show off your recycling know-how when you get caught “green-handed”. Participants who sort their waste correctly at Local Point Café on Feb. 12 will be rewarded for being sustainable!
What's plastic film you ask? Plastic film can be a variety of materials including shrink-wrap, bubble wrap and shopping bags.
Effective January 1 2020, UW's plastic film recycling process has changed. Plastic film is no longer accepted in regular recycling bins and will need to be dropped off at specific locations to be recycled.