It’s Earth month this month, which means it’s a time to reflect on what you can do to help look after our planet better. Being a student can be stressful and demanding time, but there are plenty of EASY things that students can do to be sustainable. Student accommodation provider Fresh has some useful tips on how to be sustainable as a student.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – the 3 R’s that you learned in primary school! But sometimes it can be difficult to know how to implement the 3 R’s properly.
REDUCE
- Reduce your energy usage. Turn switches off when items are on standby and lights off when you’re not in a room. Combine your wash loads with your flatmate; washing machines and tumble dryers use a LOT of energy.
- Reduce your use of single use plastics. Instead of buying a new bottle of water from the library vending machine everyday, get yourself a cute bottle that you can fill yourself. Also think about getting a bag4life when you do your weekly shop so you don’t keep having to buy those cheap and harmful plastic shopping bags.
REUSE
- Reusing things such as takeaway containers is a good way to avoid waste and save you money! Chinese takeaway packaging to take your lunch into uni is just one way to do this.
- Donating quality clothing, shoes or pretty much anything else that you have no use for anymore to charity or even just someone you know will make use of it is a great way to reuse and help the environment.
RECYCLE
- Recycling is the BIG one, and a study found that students are far less likely to recycle than the general population (54.8% and 75% respectively). And almost 10% of students don’t recycle at all.
- Sometimes it can be confusing to understand what exactly can and can’t be recycled. Here are some examples of what you can recycle.
- Paper and cardboard:
- Newspapers / magazines
- Envelopes or loose sheets of paper
- Cardboard food containers or sleeves
- Food cartons
- Glass:
- Food jars
- Bottles
- (But do not put broken glass or light bulbs in recycling bins.)
- Plastic:
- Bottles
- Lids
- Tubs and trays such as takeaway containers
- Aluminium and steel:
- Drink cans
- Food cans / tins
- Aerosols
- Bottle and jar lids / caps
- Other:
- Batteries
- Printer ink cartridges
Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.