Victoria is leading the nation in higher education recycling thanks to a national industry-funded initiative across nine of the state’s largest Universities and TAFEs.
The $430,000 project is funded by the Packaging Stewardship Forum (PSF) of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and has so far signed up 17 Universities and TAFEs nationally, with more than half of those coming from Victoria.
To celebrate National Recycling Week, the industry has highlighted that nine of Victoria’s largest Universities and TAFEs are doing their bit for the environment after signing up to the initiative, which provides staff, students and visitors with the education and infrastructure to recycle outside of home.
The new recycling bins and signage will be used on a daily basis by over 300,000 students and 28,000 staff across the Universities and TAFEs signed on to the program to date. This helps to promote the PSF’s central message: Do the Right Thing, Use the Right Bin.
PSF General Manager Jenny Pickles says the program aims to make recycling easy for people when they are out and about.
“Our recent research shows that while Australians are quite good at recycling at home through their kerb side collection systems, it is usually away from home that recycling suffers [1].
'This is primarily due to lack of effective infrastructure — that is what we aim to provide through this program,” Ms Pickles says.
“Victoria has always been very good not only with their litter but also with their recycling, after a recent announcement from Sustainability Victoria said that the state’s kerbside recycling rates had risen to 42% - the best in Australia [2]".
"The university program now offers the opportunity for young Victorian’s to recycle effectively whilst away from home and not to mention do their bit in time for National Recycling Week.”
Kangan Batman TAFE is participating in the program and sets a great example for other Victorian TAFEs and Universities to follow.
Workplace Environmental Coordinator of the TAFE, James Drougas, is thrilled with the new infrastructure and the results they’re seeing already.
‘‘Recycling works at Kangan Batman TAFE - we are already reducing waste and had a 12.5% increase in recycling since the installation of the new bins system,’’ he says.
Victorian Universities and TAFEs signed on to the program include; Australian Catholic University, Chisholm Institute , Deakin University, Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, Kangan Batman TAFE, Melbourne University, Monash University, Swinburne University and the University of Ballarat.
[1] PSF Australian Beverage Packaging Consumption, Recovery and Recycling Quantification Study 2008 http://www.afgc.org.au/cmsDocuments/Beverage%20Packaging%20Quantification%20Study.pdf
[2] ‘Victorians recycling more than ever’, WME Environmental Management News 28 September 2009. http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1034778
Add a comment