Otago Uni and OUSA are proposing an alternative way of disposing waste rather than the designated skip days we currently have.
The proposal is still being reviewed, but aims to give students more options to recycle and dispose of general waste any time of the year, or on specific dates, free of charge at the Dunedin Waste Transfer Station on Wickliffe Street (by Emerson’s).
The proposal comes after both demand for more recycling opportunities, but also the Uni’s target of halving its waste to landfill by 2021. In order to accomplish this, the Uni has to change the way it handles waste. On November 8, 2019, over 40 tonnes of waste was dumped in 39 skips, of which a “good portion” could have been recycled, said the Uni’s Property Services Division Director Dean Macaulay.
OUSA Residential Representative, Jack Saunders, said that a shift away from skip days is “really important for long term action” and that Waste Management was keen to see students, landlords, and the general public alike change their “hoard and drop mentality”. The vision is to see sustainability incorporated into the student lifestyle by better informing students and changing “the culture around rubbish and waste within the North Dunedin community”.
A ‘skip diversion day’ was trialled during Sustainability Week, which allowed student feedback and an idea of what a North D with no skip days would look like. Macaulay said that students were willing to spend extra time sorting their waste into the appropriate streams, but stressed that “any changes would need to be ones students would actually use”.
There are concerns about the accessibility and convenience of this proposal, as well as whether students would actually be enthused enough to follow through. Jordy, a second year on Castle Street, said that “students would be more inclined to get rid of their rubbish properly if it’s closer cause we’re lazy ... accessibility is super important.” Tom, another second year, asked “why can’t they just make skip day also recycling day? Like, two skips?”
The Wickliffe Street Transfer Station currently costs anywhere from $5 for a bag and $33.50 for a car full of rubbish to use. Additionally, there several recycling drop-off facilities located around Studentville including one right next to the Marsh.
OUSA is currently seeking feedback on this proposal. Contact the Residential Rep at residential@ousa.org.nz.