The campus community came out in force on a cold day in support of the third annual Recycling 101 event on January 31.
Power of You volunteers Garett and Cherie hard at work reminding the campus that empty coffee cups are recyclable.
The event, which encourages proper sorting behaviour at UBC Okanagan, attracted almost 400 participants. These campus community members received information on the recyclability of single-use coffee cups, were provided with biodegradable, reusable coffee mugs, and committed to improving their sorting behaviours.
In response to previous events, the campus has started to demonstrate change in sorting behaviours as reported through bi-annual waste audits. The 2018 audit reported a reduction in the number of single-use beverage cups found in the waste stream by 10 per cent over the 2016 audit. The campus also reported an increase in the use of reusable cups and dishware by 14 per cent in 2017 over the previous year.
The event also offered participants an opportunity to join the BC Cool Campus Challenge by pledging to reduce their energy consumption this winter. Running through February, the challenge is a fun and friendly initiative between BC universities and colleges to conserve energy this winter season.
Participants busy learning about coffee cup recyclability and signing BC Cool Campus Pledges at the Recycling 101 event.
