Recycling Competition on Campus

Every year Clarkson Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE) organizes an Earth Week event at Clarkson. This year Earth Week was Saturday April 22nd – Saturday, April 29th. Various clubs and faculty came together to host events centered on the environment and sustainability.

Clarkson’s NYWEA and Synergy Club hosted a recycling competition during Earth Week. Student and Staff were invited to NYWEA and Synergy’s table in the Student Center to test their skills on zero waste recycling at Clarkson. A bag of various waste items was given to the participants. Some items included were napkins, plastic wrapping, milk cartons, batteries, and scrap paper. Participants were asked to sort the items into three bins; recycling, landfill waste, and universal waste. Students sorting ability was then evaluated by NYWEA and Synergy member, and tips were given on how the participant could better sort their waste. People were usually surprised by how much waste could go into the recycling bin rather than landfill bin. Participation in the recycling competition were awarded with reusable cutlery packs or water bottles that can be used at on-campus eating establishments instead of the disposable plastic utensils and cups.

Overall, the event was a great success and an engaging way to educate Clarkson community on how to recycle on campus. Sorting waste correctly is an easy task students and staff can do in their everyday life, and it has a big impact on campus sustainability. It is also important to understand that the biggest impact can be made by limiting the amount of waste we produce every day. This can be achieved by limiting waste at on-campus eating establishments by or just by printing less paper. NYWEA and Synergy hope to host similar events in the future to further educate the Clarkson community on campus sustainability.

By Katie Koehler, edited by Sonja Gagen