On February 14th, the SEEDS team engaged with the UBC community to raise awareness about the impact of disposable cups and containers on campus. The SEEDS engagement booth took place in collaboration with UBC Alma Mater Society’s (AMS) waste audit, as part of AMS Sustainability Week.
AMS Sustainability Week is an annual event which brings together diverse sustainability and environmental groups and initiatives on the UBC Vancouver campus. As part of this annual event, the SEEDS team set up a booth to raise awareness of the impact of single-use cups and containers vs reusable alternatives. On display was an estimate of the number of single-use containers and cups that an average student would use in a month from food outlets on campus, contrasted with the amount of reusable containers that could replace those single-use containers. The intention of the booth was to promote discussion within the UBC community about the impact of single-use containers.
Many were surprised to see the significant volumes of waste associated with an average student’s consumption habits. Data was also collected from passersby regarding their knowledge of single-use cup and container fees at the university’s food outlets. Participants were asked if they knew what the fees were for cups and containers, and their responses varied from “I am not sure” to accurate guesses of disposable container fees, with guesses both above and below the actual amounts. As of 2024, UBC has continued to require a $ 0.25 and $ 0.50 fee for single-use cups and containers from on-campus food outlets. Similarly, a fee of $ 0.25 is applied to single- use paper carry bags. Additionally, participants at the booth were asked how often they used a reusable mug when ordering drinks on campus, with responses ranging from 0 times to over 7 times per week.
Research and engagement on reducing the use of disposable containers is part of SEEDS’ larger focus on supporting Circular Economies, one of SEEDS five main research priorities. By facilitating interdisciplinary research collaboration and utilizing the campus as a living lab, SEEDS initiatives are helping to support UBC in reaching its target of an 80% reduction in single-use coffee cups by 2030, as well as other goals stated in UBC´s most recent Zero Waste Action Plan (ZWAP 2030). In support of ZWAP, SEEDS is currently undertaking projects related to mapping and reducing the prevalence of single-use items, promoting the use of reusable mugs, promoting the use of reuse-options for furniture and equipment, and analysing the flows of IT desktop equipment, among others.
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