UzhNU students got creative to promote waste sorting and gained new knowledge at an eco-party
The second “Together on the Eco Wave” eco-party was recently held at the YouthHub youth center. At the event, socially conscious young people learned more about implementing environmental initiatives in the city, debunked myths about recycling, and shared their own ideas for promoting eco-awareness among city residents.
Alona Almashiy, Director of the Center for Innovation and Development at UzhNU, says: “We are organizing this event in cooperation with the NGO ‘Green City’ and the Department of Culture, Youth, and Sports of the Uzhhorod City Council. It’s wonderful that such eco-initiatives bring together different segments of the population. About 30 people have registered for the eco-party, including students and faculty, school teachers and students, and city residents who care about environmental issues. This format is more accessible than traditional lectures because it’s informal education. Our guests will talk about waste sorting and their activities, and at the end, participants will present their ideas for implementing and promoting eco-initiatives in the city.”
Containers for separate waste collection have been installed in UzhNU buildings for about two years now, says Alona Almashiy. Currently, glass, paper, plastic, and batteries are sorted in collaboration with the Recycling Collection Station (Proektna St., 3). Every week, representatives of the company pick up full bins of sorted
According to Ruslan Shvarts, head of the Recycling Collection Station, the university sends about half a ton of recyclables for processing every month. “We’ve set up indoor and outdoor sorting bins. At the eco-party, I want to debunk popular myths about waste sorting in Ukraine. For example, one of the most common myths is that even after sorting, everything is dumped into a single bin and taken to a solid waste landfill. In reality, however, various types of waste are actively collected and recycled in Ukraine. Since the eco-initiative began at the university, the quality of sorting has improved: people have a better understanding of what can be recycled and what cannot. The Chemistry Department is currently the most active in sorting.”
Currently, in cooperation with AVE Uzhhorod LLC, the number of sorting containers will increase, and the list of materials that can be sent for recycling will also expand somewhat.
