Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Fri, 2017-09-29 16:02
‘Spotlight on’ months allow the Environment and Energy section to engage staff and students on one particular topic over an entire month. The first of these months in this academic year will take place in November and will be Spotlight on Waste month. The spotlight will be turned to Sustainable Research in February, and Sustainable Travel in April.
Through a series of engaging events, the Environment and Energy section will work with departments in November to inspire change in how we produce and dispose of waste. One of the more interactive events that we will be encouraging staff to get involved in, is a world record attempt to repair the most items in a single sitting.
Repairing extends the life of the product and, in countries like Sweden, the repairing movement is seen as pivotal in the fight against waste. This event is being organised by Cambridge Carbon Footprint as part of a project called Circular Cambridge, and will take place in the Wesley Methodist Church on 11 November. Interested parties will be able to register the item that they would like to have repaired in the coming weeks, contact us if you would like to be updated on event developments
Transition Cambridge are currently looking for volunteers who enjoy repairing to join their existing team and help out on the day. There is particular need for qualified individuals who can repair electronic goods. If you, or anyone you know, are interested; please get in touch. Training will be provided at Repair Café workshops that will take place in October.
If you cannot repair goods they should be recycled. This week is national Recycle Week and throughout the week we have been looking at what new products can be made from recycled materials on our social media platforms and how it is worth it to recycle.
34% of the University’s operational waste is recycled and waste audits have shown that we can significantly increase that figure just by putting waste into the correct bin.
If you are unsure as to what goes in which bin you can download our posters, use the Recycling and waste A-Z or look at the locations of where you can dispose of unusual waste streams on the University Map.