How to Practice Waste Management at Home

On September 21st, Green HSE launches its initiative, Separate Waste Collection for Points. The campaign is supported by HSE Institute of Ecology. HSE Life asked the project team to share some of their waste management tips. 

Step 1. Find a convenient collection point

First, look at the containers near your home. If there is nothing nearby, you can find collection point locations on the Ecoline map. There is a separate map for the Moscow region.

If none of the points seem suitable for you, check out the separate waste collection campaigns on the website of the Separate Collection volunteer movement. Their campaigns are held in many districts of Moscow and other cities, where you can hand over different types of waste. The Separate Collection website also features a lot of useful information about collection points, recycling rules, and events.

Step 2. Determine the types of waste you sort

If you are new to waste sorting, start with one thing: collect plastic PET bottles, glass, or waste paper separately. Once you get used to it, add in a different type of waste. You can save up batteries, which are accepted in Vkusville, as well as bottle caps that can be handed over to the charity project ‘Good caps’ in HSE buildings. We recommend that you take your old clothes to the Charity Shop.

Step 3. Place waste sorting containers at home

You can use containers, buckets, crates, or regular bags. Try to reduce the volume of packaging: crush aluminum cans and plastic bottles, and fold cardboard packaging in half several times. This will help dustcarts to take more waste, which means they will need to visit less often and pollute the environment less.

Step 4. Sort your waste correctly

Aluminum and plastic should be washed and crushed, cardboard and paper should be handed over dry. Separate plastic waste according to the types indicated on its surface. Compliance with the collection guidelines helps to avoid unpleasant odors at home, saves space, and facilitates the process of waste management for the sorting centre staff. Guidelines for waste collection can be found on the website of recycling companies. The basic rules about different types of waste can be found on the Separate Collection website.

Step 5. Reduce the amount of waste

Waste sorting does not solve the problem of depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution. It is more useful to reduce waste in general. Use reusable bags instead of plastic bags every time you go to the store.

Buy nuts, dried fruits, sweets, spices, cereals by weight and use your own packaging for such products — this could be a container or a cloth bag. Install a water filter to avoid buying extra bottles.

Step 6. Share your experience with your friends and family

Tell your friends that waste sorting does not require much effort: it is just a matter of habit, like brushing your teeth before going to bed or washing the dishes. There is a lot of online information on separate waste collection: send your friends the link to useful articles — for example, recommendations from the project "#prostorazdeliay" (#justsortit) or the manual of the ‘NOZH’ (‘KNIFE’) journal.

If they are interested in an eco-friendly lifestyle, recommend them to take the course of conscious consumption ‘Teper tak’ (‘Now it’s this way’). The more people get involved in separate waste collection, the more efficient it will be, and the more benefits it will bring, both to the environment and humanity.

You can start waste sorting together with the ‘Separate Waste Collection for Points’ campaign from Green HSE, which starts at the university on September 21st. For more details about the initiative please see this article.

September 18, 2020