College: The Best Time to Reduce Waste

The start of the new fall semester is the perfect opportunity for University of Michigan students to challenge themselves to reduce waste on campus and in their own lives. Taking the extra step to incorporate waste reduction practices into students’ daily lives is a skill that we wish to foster here at U-M.

Rufus the Recycler will be pushing everyone to challenge themselves to reduce waste this semester. Use this September to practice your waste reduction strategies so that you can win big during the 2016 Nothrowber! Nothrowber is a month long social media event full of waste reduction challenges in October. Make sure to follow Planet Blue on Twitter and like Planet Blue on Facebook to partake in fun, challenges, and prizes!

Being a waste conscious student on the U-M campus has its advantages! Here are some of the ways you can challenge yourself to reduce waste in your daily life!

Power of the backpack

You have a convenient place to store everything you need for class and then some. Try packing these items and see what kind of impact they have on your day.

Reusable water bottle

• Water refill stations are located throughout campus. They are more convenient than vending machines and they save you money.

Reusable coffee mug

• Walking around central campus has its perks, like the ability to smell freshly brewed coffee from almost any street corner. It's often hard to resist. So if you stop by for some caffeine, you’ll always be prepared with your reusable coffee mug! Tip: most coffee shops give a discount for bringing your own mug.

Reusable bag

• Keep a foldable reusable bag in your backpack for any shopping trips you might do before or after class.

Hand towel

• Do you use disposable paper towels when you wash your hands on campus? Try drying off with your own hand towel. Just remember to wash it after a few uses to make sure you’re not wiping germs back onto your hands.

Green hacking the campus computing locations

Ever noticed stacks of printed on papers by the printers in the fishbowl or UGLI? Those are abandoned pieces of paper often printed on only one side. You can use the backs of these printed pages for scrap paper or practice problems while you’re studying! Don’t forget to recycle the paper once you’re done.

Go healthy

When you pack and plan meals in advance, they are often much more healthful than if you grabbed something on the go during the day. Try packing lunch in reusable containers.

Pick snacks like bananas, oranges, and apples that come perfectly packaged by nature! Then stop by the Dana building to compost peels and cores.