How do we get students interested in waste? - Towards more effective waste management at Turku UAS
Circular economy and sustainable development are constantly present in our daily lives and studies, yet we rarely stop to think about what happens to our waste after we drop it into the nearest bin. From a student’s perspective, waste management is often just a quick stop on the way from one lecture to another. The energy drink can or coffee cup needed to survive a morning lecture is tossed into the bin by the door, and the day continues. Is this everyday routine in conflict with the lessons we learn in our courses about circular economy, resource efficiency and sustainability, or do we forget these lessons amid our busy schedules?
Developing waste management with the help of students
At Turku UAS, a student-driven project was launched in the Circular Economy Lab with the aim of improving waste management within our institution. The project was based on a simple observation: sorting opportunities are sometimes insufficient, and mixed waste bins are filled with items that could easily be sorted correctly.
A student’s waste journey is often quite similar: snacks brought from home, drinks and food purchased from the café, bottles, cans, wrappers, and coffee cups are carried along for a while. After a lecture, this waste often ends up in the mixed waste bin found in the classroom, even though most of it could be sorted. This behavior is not necessarily due to unwillingness, but rather convenience and the options available: waste is thrown into the bin that is closest.
The goal of our project is to improve the sorting rate at our school and determine how this can be achieved. In our waste management courses, we have learned that sorting is a key part in circular economy. It enables waste to be utilized as a raw material, reduces the amount of waste sent for incineration or landfill, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. When waste is sorted correctly, it can be recycled and reused as material instead of relying on virgin materials.
We wanted to find out whether change could be achieved within the organization itself. We collected data from students through a survey to understand their views on the functionality of waste management and the issues they notice. Responses highlighted, for example, that refundable bottles and cans often end up in mixed waste bins. These items attract attention because they have a direct monetary value. At the same time, an environmentally conscious observer will also notice that all the other unsorted waste ends up being incinerated, meaning its value as a material is lost.
In addition, we conducted a practical experiment to test how small changes affect our behavior. During the pilot, we implemented a model that has been proven effective in other universities. We removed mixed waste bins from classrooms, meeting rooms and corridors on one floor for a week. Users of the spaces were guided to sorting stations with maps clearly showing their locations. The aim was to find out whether the sorting rate would increase and whether users would take their waste to the sorting stations or leave it behind in shared spaces.
The results were promising. The sorting rate increased significantly, and the share of mixed waste decreased from 52% to 34%. Simultaneously, it was observed that waste mostly ended up at designated sorting stations, rather than being left in common areas. Removing mixed waste bins and increasing sorting opportunities guided behavior towards a more sustainable direction.
Why isn’t sorting always successful?
However, during the pilot it became clear that there is still room for improvement in sorting skills. Waste was not always sorted correctly, as materials that did not belong in certain fractions were found there, for example, cardboard coffee cups in plastic waste. This indicates that incorrect sorting still occurs even when opportunities are provided. This raises the question: is it due to a lack of knowledge or indifference? How can users be encouraged to sort correctly?
The challenges of sorting are often linked to insufficient guidance, busy lifestyles, and a lack of sorting points or their inconvenient locations. If instructions are unclear or sorting points are not easily accessible, sorting is easily neglected or done incorrectly.
Based on the project results, improving the sorting rate requires both structural changes and better communication. More sorting options, clearer instructions, and improved guidance are needed. In practice, this could mean increasing the number of sorting stations, adding clear sorting instructions to bins in both Finnish and English, and marking the locations of sorting points on maps.
Small changes can lead to significant impacts. When sorting is made easy and accessible, it becomes part of the daily routine, even for a student rushing from one lecture to another. The results show that by improving practices and guidance, it is possible to influence how much waste ends up being incinerated and how efficiently materials are circulated.
Joona Saine
Student from Circular Economy Lab, Turku UAS
Sources:
Verdis. (25.3.2024). Miksi jätteiden lajittelu on tärkeää? Haettu 29.4.2026 osoitteesta https://verdis.fi/miksi-jatteiden-lajittelu-on-tarkeaa/