Picture of this edition

With a few simple changes of your habits, you can help reduce waste both at work and at home. Here are some tips:

At Work

• Communicate by e-mail and do not print out the e-mails.
• Think carefully before you print hard copies of anything.
• Put a single-sided paper collection box and a waste paper recycling box near the photocopiers, laser printers or fax machines.
• Use single-sided paper as notepads and reuse envelopes.
• Use pencils for drafting rather than pens.
• Use refills to extend the usable life of ballpoint pens.
• Use rechargable batteries where possible.
• Reduce the use of fluorescent pens, just underline text instead.
• Bring your own cup/mug to reduce use of disposable paper cups.

To promote awareness of environmental issues, this office has arranged two events this month for staff and students.

The first one is a seminar on global warming and polar environment. The 2-hour lecture will be given by Dr. Rebecca Lee Lok-sze, a renowned photographer, polar environment researcher and also an Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award recipient. The second one is a film show on "An Inconvenient Truth", a documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide. For details of the lecture and film show, please refer to the announcements on our homepage.

I

We have mentioned non-recyclables in the previous issue. Let’s now look at the recyclables. Into a Waste Paper bin, you could put in newspapers, magazines, leaflets, envelopes, paper packaging materials, egg cartons, or paper shopping bags. A Metals bin can take steel or aluminium cans, milk powder cans, cookwares and moon cake cans. You can put into a Plastics bin plastic bottles and caps, plastic containers, plastic shopping bags and wrappings, cassette tapes, plastic toys and stationery. For hygiene purpose, the materials you put into a recycling bin should be first made reasonably clean.