The week of April 22-25 was Zero Waste Week on the Bellarmine Campus. Led by the Sustainability Club, this week is aimed to raise awareness for how everyone on campus can do their part to care for the environment. Whether it is throwing away trash in the correct bin, or taking actions to reduce waste, everyone can do their part to care for our common home. 

One way the sustainability club is raising awareness during this week is through an earth-themed spirit week. Tuesday’s theme was thrifted clothes. Thrifting clothes instead of buying them new is a great way to reduce waste while still dressing in style. Wednesday’s theme was flower power, Thursday’s was safari, and Friday’s was earth tones. This spirit week is a great way to get the whole student body involved in making our campus a more sustainable place. 

The next focus for Zero Waste Week was sorting trash into the correct bins. This includes compost, landfill, and recycling. Lunch time has proved to be a big problem for sustainability on campus as most students don’t take the time to sort their trash, they just toss it into one bin. So this week is meant to create a good habit of sorting our trash. Here is how to sort:

Garbage

• Paper plates
• Used Napkins
• Plastic utensils
• Sauce packets
• Milk cartons
• Chip Bags

Recycling

• Paper
• Cardboard
• Aluminum cans
• Must be Clean!

Compost

• All food scraps
• NO WRAPPERS

Junior Thien-Ai Nguyen said, “This week I’ve been very aware of where my trash has been going, but sometimes it feels inconvenient when I’m in a rush.”

When you are rushing to class and carrying all your trash, it may feel more convenient to toss it all in the trash, but that does more harm than good. Taking a couple extra seconds to sort your trash can make a big difference. It is important to get the whole student body involved in incorporating sustainable habits into daily life because as a school, we have the power to make a difference.