As this school year comes to an end, I’m sure many of you are anxious to throw all of your study materials away and celebrate summer. However, I urge you to reconsider how exactly you dispose of materials and supplies you no longer need.
For handouts with printing on only one side, throw it in a box and use it as scratch paper for next year. If you have notebooks that only have a couple pages used, tear those ones out and reuse the notebook for another class. Binders are also great to reuse, I personally have used the same binders for four years, simply by making temporary labels out of tape that I can remove each quarter.
For bigger items, such as couches or mini-fridges, you should check out Craigslist.com. Craigslist is an easy way to get rid of furniture and various other things, while potentially making a profit at the same time. If creating an account and taking pictures of your furniture seems too daunting, you can always try leaving it at the foot of your driveway with a “free” sign. Additionally, you could advertise your furniture by posting fliers around campus.
All these alternatives are better than throwing your waste in the trash, which will then take up space in our landfills. At the very least, make a conscious effort to recycle any paper or plastic products as you are cleaning out your room.
On behalf of the Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, I thank you for effort in living a sustainable lifestyle, and I wish you all an enjoyable summer!
