News Details

Sukleen launched a free recycling program at American University of Beirut (AUB) at the end of last February in the hopes of achieving a greener campus by installing red and blue garbage cans.

The concept is simple: Students, professors, and staff members make use of the bins by dividing what they want to throw away depending on the colors, and then the bins get sorted out after a couple of days.

The idea behind using colors, red and blue, is to have a clear and memorable identification system that would make it easy for students and staff members. Sukleen made efficient use of colors and labeled the recycling boxes with the main information about the material to be thrown in the bins.

Red Bins are dedicated to recycle plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles, and jars, as well as tins and cans. These items include water and beverage bottles, detergent and bleach bottles, plastic containers, and pastry trays.

Blue Bins are designed for papers and cardboard wastes such as newspapers and magazines, books and copy books, brochures, leaflets, greeting cards and envelops, egg boxes, and toilet roll tubes.

“The program took about eight to nine months to sign and was launched in 14 main buildings on campus in order to get used to the system,” said Farouk Merhebi, director of environmental health, safety, and risk management at AUB. “Since the initiative has both transportation and financial costs among others, we decided to start with these places and progress later on as the project shows success.”

Both the environmental club at AUB and the department of environmental health collaborated to promote this program by raising awareness through distributing ambiguous teasers on campus. One teaser, for example, read “Separation isn’t always a bad thing.” Their aim was to get the attention of passers-by and make them wonder about the possible meaning behind the statements.

Sukleen has also informed the users of this initiative about the aftermath of the recycled items. Plastic bottles and containers become bags, pipes, textile, containers, crates, chairs, and tables. As for tins and cans, after recycling, they turn into cans, light poles, benches, trash cans, bicycle and car parts.

“Our goal is to achieve a recycled and over-all greener and better looking campus,” said Merhebi. “The success of this proposal will depend on students. Our staff collected twice so far and the results are promising.”