Recycling rate on the Sörnäinen Campus has room for improvement
Our campus recycling rate is being monitored with the help of the Ympäristönetti portal offered by the Lassila & Tikanoja waste management company. The portal gives us data on how precisely our waste is being sorted. On the Sörnäinen Campus, where the quantity and quality of waste varies considerably more than on the Töölö Campus, there have been clear shortcomings in sorting waste.
In Mylly, the average recycling rate this year has been about 40 %, when the target rate is 75 %. The average rate is 58 % in Kookos and 72 % on the Töölö Campus. The recycling rate drops down especially if waste is not separated and instead, everything is disposed of as mixed waste or if a roll-off dumpster is ordered to campus for dumping unsorted waste. It is also essential to ensure that hazardous waste is handled in the appropriate manner.
There are two waste collection rooms on the Sörnäinen Campus: one in the Mylly building (Kaikukatu 5) and one in the Kookos building (Haapaniemenkatu 6). It is possible to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, biowaste and plastic also in the corridor kitchens. There are larger waste bins for the most common waste, including energy waste, also in the main hallways of each floor. Waste rooms have collection points for all other waste, such as hazardous waste and electrical waste. Recycling of hazardous waste is always managed together with the Academy of Fine Arts technicians.
The university is planning to organise recycling days a few times a year to highlight the waste management theme and to increase the campus recycling rate. In Mylly, these days are scheduled for the same times as when work facilities are re-assigned among students.
At the Academy of Fine Arts, technicians help out with recycling questions, while at the Theatre Academy, guidance is provided by the facilities team.