Why did the University of Bonn introduce a sustainable system for managing waste?
“We wanted to create a waste management system that was fit for the times. To make separating trash as easy as possible, we standardized everything and brought in dedicated containers for paper, packaging and residual waste. We also removed many of the garbage cans from seminar rooms, lecture halls and offices. In other words, we’re taking a holistic approach: we want people to be mindful of the trash they generate and, ideally, not just recycle as much as they can but actually produce less of it in the first place. After all, waste can’t have a carbon footprint if it never exists, so it’s important to avoid it as much as possible. And recycling is always the better option for any trash that’s generated, because it allows valuable resources to be reused.”
How exactly does the new system work?
“The new containers can be found in foyers and corridors and outside lecture hall buildings as well as in kitchenettes and corridors in Central Administration. Information signs have been put up to make people aware of the need to separate their trash. All the garbage cans use the same color scheme—yellow for packaging, blue for paper and gray for residual waste—while stickers with clear pictograms on them are there to simplify the sorting process.
Having fewer containers for garbage also means we don’t need anywhere near as many trash bags. What’s more, rather than collecting up trash in the standard disposable plastic bags in the evenings, our cleaners are now using washable, reusable ones. That’s saving a huge amount of plastic every single day. All these ideas and how we’re implementing the new system is down to Sven Linke from Facilities Management at the University of Bonn. Without him, the new waste management system would never have seen the light of day.”
What are the benefits of the new system?
“The percentage of recyclables being separated out has risen considerably in buildings where the new system has already been rolled out, such as in Rabinstraße at the Faculty of Arts and in Dechenstraße, where University management is based. The improvements we’ve made in separating waste mean that an increasing volume of valuable resources is now being reused or recycled and carbon emissions are being avoided. What I’m particularly happy about is that, as well as reducing our residual waste, we’re actually also managing to generate less waste overall with our new system.
Incidentally, the whole business is also bringing a financial benefit, because it costs a lot less to dispose of paper and packaging than residual waste. Taken together with the lower volume of total waste, this means a saving on our disposal costs. In other words, separating and avoiding waste is sustainable from an economic perspective too.”
What do people think of the system?
“The new waste management system is helping to raise awareness once again among University members of the need to think about separating and avoiding it. And they have a lot of information at their disposal to help them do just that:
- A Waste ABC, which we developed in a participatory process, for if people are ever uncertain where to put that used pizza box
- A decision-making guide that staff can use to check whether they’ll need any garbage cans for their office and, if so, which ones, so that they only order the ones they really need
- Extensive communications on the issue, including a dedicated web page, an intranet page, several circulars, social media posts and much more
Many staff and students think the system is a good idea and are happy to use it, as shown by the sharp rise in the percentage of waste being separated for recycling and the fall in the total volume. However, we’ve noticed that there’s still some room for improvement in terms of separating waste in public spaces. But it’s still better than it was there too.”
What comes next?
“Many University buildings have already been equipped with the new system, with over 100 separation containers installed so far. It’s now being gradually rolled out to the remaining buildings too. We’re relying on the active support of staff and students to make this happen, because trash sorting and waste prevention works best when everyone chips in. In the Vice Rectorate for Sustainability, we’ll keep on reminding people about the need to prevent waste and preserve resources and organizing activities that everyone can get involved in, such as the recycling drive for jeans, the University flea market and the communal RhineCleanUp, so that as many University members as possible realize that it all comes down to them doing their bit. We’ll only get where we want to go if we all pull together.”
