During the month of October, St. Thomas is participating in Campus Sustainability Month, an international celebration every October where colleges and universities hold events to encourage sustainable actions on campus.

Recycling and knowing what to recycle is one way St. Thomas has chosen to celebrate.

“It’s important for students to recycle because recycling an item has many environmental and economic benefits,” Program Manager of St. Thomas Sustainability Initiatives Rachel Schauer wrote in an email to TommieMedia. “Products made from recycled materials reduce the need for raw materials, save energy and create jobs.”

Beyond cardboard and paper recycling, St. Thomas has stations available for food-waste recycling as well.

“We also have organics recycling on campus which is the process of turning organic materials including food scraps, napkins, and compostable products into a nutrient-rich soil amendment,” Schauer wrote. “Students can reference the Facilities Management web page to learn what is accepted for recycling and organics recycling.”

Recycling is only one way students at St. Thomas can be more sustainably conscious as St. Thomas has set up different events throughout the month to help celebrate, such as Tommie’s Closet, a native tree scavenger hunt and by requesting “trash talkers.”

“The ‘trash talkers’ guide students, staff and faculty by standing by the waste bins and helping them sort their waste,” Schauer said. “Students can fill out this form to request trash talkers for their next department or club event.”

Elaina Mankowski can be reached at mank2823@stthomas.edu.