Waste awareness display highlights the power of eco-action

In an effort to raise awareness of waste, Stellenbosch University has put on display ‘waste towers’ to demonstrate the power of eco-action!

Stellenbosch, South Africa (April 24, 2024)—Earth Day is over, but the impact our choices can have on the planet is a lifelong issue. And once we realize that the answer is not to be afraid, but to take eco action, great green things can happen!

To show what waste two days on campus can yield (and how much eco-action matters), Stellenbosch University has put two waste facilities on display in an effort to raise awareness and waste awareness during Earth Month.

In the ‘waste towers’ on Rooiplein, 3000 kg of waste was collected and sorted by the university’s centralized Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). This is approximately 30 bales of waste. What about the eco campaign? Well, reportedly 28% is recycled, 46% is composted and only 26% ends up in landfills – a striking difference from a time when recycling and composting were abstract terms.

At the waste towers there were small signs that encouraged action. “What are you leaving behind?” and “Does all this garbage make you uncomfortable?” These were just two messages that gave students and employees food for thought about their own efforts.

The good news, apart from raising awareness, as the university notes, is that thanks to the MRF, more than 1,000 tonnes of waste was diverted from landfills last year, as well as 10.4 tonnes of electronic waste. To make life easier for students to get in on the action, three-bin sorting systems are available on all campuses, while other environmentally conscious practices aimed at water safety and reducing carbon emissions have also been introduced to reach net zero . A recent victory was the awarding of 5 and 3 star ratings from the City of Cape Town for the efforts of the Tygerberg and Bellville campuses in effective water management, in addition to the Green Building Council of South Africa which awarded 18 buildings on the Stellies campus certified.

All these efforts, including the waste-conscious towers, play a role in bringing to the forefront not only environmental fears, but also the effectiveness of eco-action. And it is crucial that educational institutions – which pride themselves on shaping the next generations of leaders – take the lead.

But the individual has his own role to play and his own ‘waste tower’ to introspect about.

Sources: Stellenbosch University

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