CAFÉ WASTE
Marcy's Observations
-Marcy is a member of the Environmental Sustainability Working Group and Chair of the Library Green Team.
-She believes that students don't seem to know what they can and cannot recycle, and may be in too much of a hurry to take the time to figure it out.
-Marcy's suggestions include more thorough and eye-catching signage of recycling instructions, highlighting what can be recycled, and what should remain in the garbage.
It is not hard to see that waste is a problem in our excessive, consumption-based society. However, before we can begin to address and solve the problem of excessive waste in our society, we first must be able to identify it and understand where the root of the problem lies. In the context of library cafe waste, we first must explore why and how the problem is occurring before we begin to try addressing and solving it.
Background Context
Library Observations
-We observed the actions and behaviors of fellow students in our libraries (the Undergraduate Library, known as the UGLI, and the Duderstadt).
-Recycling bins were typically located next to garbage cans, allowing people to choose where to put their waste. On top of the recycling bins, there are signs that inform people of the types of waste that can be recycled.
-Despite these signs, the habits of waste disposal by students at the UGLI seems to be influenced primarily by what sort of waste they were throwing away, how much of a hurry they appeared to be in, and finally, the behavior of their friends, in the case of groups, leaving the library.
-At the UGLI, people tended to throw away their plastic food wrappers/packaging in the garbage cans, whereas placing their plastic cups, silverware, and paper in the recycling bins.
-Bins, however, were not always located next to each other in an orderly fashion, requiring somewhat more of an effort for the "green" student to first toss their coffee mug into the trash, and then backtrack through a line of students to reach the recycle bin (in which they tossed/were supposed to toss) the cardboard coffee cup sleeves that were recyclable.
-Students who came alone and bought both food and a drink were the most likely to toss all their waste into the garbage can.
-"Green" habits decreased significantly during the twenty minutes around the times classes start (3:50-4:10, 4:50-5:10, etc.)
