Dining Services Staff Gets up to Speed on Recycling Knowledge

Keeping students, faculty, and all employees (campus and Medical Center) up to date on their recycling knowledge in an entity as BIG as the University of Rochester is an ongoing challenge. But now that the county has expanded it’s program, the need for training this summer has been evermore intensified.

Last Thursday, the recycling office participated in a unique learning experience put on by our friends at University Dining Services. To prevent the staff from going into traditional PowerPoint overload, this event was held in a convention-style “information fair” format which encouraged interaction. In addition to a cafe area where people could relax and socialize with snacks and beverages, tables were set up for specific topics such as physical safety, food safety, marketing, local foods, and of course recycling.  Many of the tables included demos, games, and surveys to engage the audience as they traveled through in organized groups.

The recycling table included a brief summary of what is (and is not) recyclable at the University. It also included a show and tell of some sample recycled products as well as a demo of the Nike Reuse a Shoe program. Then each group divided into two teams to play a speed recycling game and compete for a prize. Each team was given a bag of items and when the clock started the race began to properly sort the items into the correct recycling or trash bin. The games wasn’t all about speed. In fact, who finished first was only important in the event of a tie. More importantly, the game focused on how many items were sorted correctly and with each incorrect item was an opportunity to learn.

The recycling office was pleased to participate in a nonconventional training day like this one. In a world where we are constantly learning and taking in new things, it always good to think outside the box for creative teaching techniques.