Students Encouraged to Recycle More

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The campaign, with support from former-Mayor, Councillor Roger Knight, will aim to further student understanding of what and how to recycle."

Katy Boom, Director of Sustainability for the University of Worcester, said: "When students first arrive at the University it's a life changing event and an ideal time to change and fix new habits. We train all students living in halls of residence in what you can and can't recycle in Worcester and provide plenty of bins, posters, videos, competitions and rewards to encourage good recycling behaviour.

"This is led by our student sustainability mentors. It's important to train students as they will have had different "recycling rules" depending on where they lived previously. The "key" to this campaign is we inform residential students not what they can recycle on campus (which is more items) but what they'll be able to recycle when they move out into houses in their second and subsequent years."

The launch of the scheme has seen student sustainability mentors volunteer and gain Chartered Institution of Wastes Management accredited training, as well as membership to the industry professional body.

Currently the City Council provides external green and black bins. New "white bags" are now being issued to all student houses, which have been designed colourfully explaining what can and can't be recycled. Wipe-clean posters, matching the bags, will also be given to student houses to put up in kitchens.

In support of the campaign, some landlords have offered to supply students with recycling bags for their bedrooms. This follows the belief that more recycling is created in the bedrooms and by providing bags for the bedrooms it will make recycling easier.

Student landlords wishing to get hold of their free bags and posters can collect them from the Students" Union reception at the University of Worcester St Johns Campus.