Although getting ready to go back to school is likely the last thing students want to hear about right now, the date is rapidly approaching us. Classes at UW will begin on August 23.
There are multiple ways that students can prepare to begin school, from buying textbooks early to finding their classrooms ahead of time.
This fast-paced time of the year can often be stressful, especially for incoming freshmen, and leaves little room to think about anything else.
Perhaps this is why there is a lack of attention on the massive amounts of waste that college campuses generate each year. According to nonprofit organization Planet Aid, the average college student produces around 640 pounds of trash annually.
Can you imagine how much trash accumulates at universities with tens of thousands of students?
On top of this, according to Food Recovery Network, college campuses send around 22 million pounds of excess food into landfills ever year. These massive amounts of food can produce methane, which negatively affects the environment.
It’s no surprise that colleges generate the amount of waste that they do when considering how many students, teachers, faculty and employees share campus spaces. Thankfully, there are steps that college communities can take to be more environmentally friendly.
A major contributor to waste production is plastic and decreasing your plastic usage can be as simple as purchasing a reusable water bottle for the school year.
When I was a freshman, I typically went through a 24-pack of plastic water bottles each week. I quickly invested in a reusable water bottle which saved me a substantial amount of money and prevented me from going through over 1,000 plastic bottles in a year.
Another great investment that students can make is a multiple subject notebook. I know many students opt to take notes on their laptops, but for old-schoolers like myself, a 5-subject notebook is a great purchase.
It decreases the amount of paper you use and waste you produce and prevents you from lugging around 5 separate notebooks during a school day.
Although the food waste from college campuses is so significant that it could take years to improve, saving leftovers is an easy and thoughtful way to start. Plus, it can decrease the amount of money that students spend on food.
A final important factor to note is, as stated by Planet Aid, the majority of trash produced by the average college student is amassed at the end of the year.
Rather than throwing out the belongings that you no longer want or need, consider donating them or giving them to a friend. Not only does this lessen waste production, it also provides someone else with something that they might need.
Ultimately, being environmentally conscious during the school year is as simple as purchasing a reusable water bottle (you can find them for under $10 at Walmart), using a multiple-subject notebook instead of several individual ones, saving your leftovers and donating unwanted belongings at the end of the school year.
There are various other ways to be environmentally friendly, but these beginning steps are a great way to start off and will make a bigger difference than you may think.
