Office Waste Recycling

Your New Waste Bins

CSU Green has introduced a new waste management system for your building. You will notice new waste stations located in central areas as well as some new bins for your own work area. This is part of our goal to reduce landfill waste levels 70% by 2014. We are currently at about 35%, so there is plenty of room for improvement.

You can access the poster for the office waste initiative here.

Recycling Stations

Central Waste Management Stations

Made up of colour coded bins that clearly show how waste should be separated.
Typically located in central areas
Emptied by the cleaning staff in your building.
What can go into the CO-MINGLED recycling bin?

Desktop Bin

Desk Bin

An important part of the new system is the desktop waste cube. The red cube replaces your current rubbish bin and generally accommodates a full day of mixed waste.
When this bin is full you simply take it to your nearest recycling station and empty into the appropriate bin - mixed recycling, paper only or landfill.
These bins are not emptied by the cleaning staff.

Under-desk Paper Recycling

The bin placed under your desk is for paper recycling only.
When this bin is full, you can empty it into the blue paper bin at your nearest recycling station.
These bins are not emptied by the cleaning staff.

We have tailored this system to allow the separation of waste by the person who produces it. This is the best way to ensure that we recycle as much as possible, therefore reducing landfill waste. By emptying your own waste bins you take ownership of helping CSU reach our sustainability targets and benefiting the environment.

This new system has been trialled with great success in other educational institutions and businesses. We encourage you to support it and look forward to your feedback, questions and comments at csugreen@csu.edu.au.

Frequently Asked Questions:

“Why are we moving to this new system?”

The central aim of the new recycling system is to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill. This is one of several important goals the university has committed to reaching in coming years. There are many other benefits to the new recycling system including health, financial and environmental. Large rubbish bins under each desk are now part of an outdated and obsolete way of dealing with waste. In the past many people had desktop printers which have now been replaced with larger, more efficient printers in central areas. The new recycling system follows the same principal.

“The bin is too small.”

We can appreciate that the bin seems small compared to your old bin – but that’s the point! The majority of waste generated at a workspace is paper, which should be placed in the paper recycling bin. In fact, audits completed on waste from CSU office buildings indicated that more than 90% of all solid waste can be recovered through existing recycling systems. The desktop bin has been used by many other educational institutions with great success and we hope that will be the case here at CSU as well.

There may be special cases where certain areas generate more landfill waste than average. If you feel this is the case for your area, please let us know at csugreen@csu.edu.au.

“Emptying bins is not my job, the cleaners should do it.”

We all have a responsibility to reduce waste and recycle more. By emptying your own waste bins you take ownership of helping CSU reach our sustainability targets and benefiting the environment. We have placed recycling stations in commonly used areas to ensure that emptying your bin is as easy as retrieving items from the printer or making a coffee, Getting away from your desk and doing a little bit of incidental exercise has benefits as well.

“I’m a senior staff member, I shouldn’t have to empty a rubbish bin.”

The co-operation of all levels of staff is essential to the success of this important project. Senior staff members have the opportunity to set an example to staff within their building and their support is greatly appreciated.

“I can’t fit a bin on my desktop”

Think of it this way, if someone gave you a box of chocolates or a drink, you would probably find a space for it! Alternatively, you can put it on the floor.

“I don’t want rubbish sitting on my desk.”

You can place the desktop bin on the floor where your old bin used to be.

“I don’t know what I can and can’t recycle”

We have posters placed above bins in at the recycling stations that show the most commonly used items. If in doubt you should place it in the landfill bin to avoid contamination of the recycling stream. If you’d like to know more about items you regularly throw out, send us an email at csugreen@csu.com.au and we can find out for you.

“The bin will get messy with smelly food items.”

Items with a strong odour should be put straight into the large landfill bin at the recycling station. This should be the case regardless of what bin you have to avoid bothering your workmates. The desktop bins are made from recyclable plastic and are waterproof. They can be wiped out just like a coffee cup.

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