Sustainability

• About
• Reporting our performance
• Education for sustainable development
• Our practices
  • Community garden
  • Recycling
  • Energy and Water
  • Responsible purchasing
  • Greener Government Building Project
  • Sustainability in the regions
• La Trobe Institute for Social and Environmental Sustainability
• Learn about sustainability

Paper and cardboard

Paper and cardboard recycling is great for the environment and incredibly easy. For every tonne of paper recycled, thirteen large trees are saved.

Recycled paper also uses half the energy and water in production compared to paper made from virgin fibres.

All La Trobe offices have a cardboard VISY recycling bin for paper recycling (if you don't have one, contact us). Bins are emptied nightly by cleaning staff. For larger items, all office areas have a 240 litre bin located centrally.

Co-mingled recycling

Co-mingled recycling includes disposable coffee cups, glass bottles, aluminum and steel cans, plastic milk cartons and plastic containers.  La Trobe is rolling out the collection of co-mingled recycling across its campuses. The collection is suitable for recyclable plastics (1–7), steel and aluminum. The University also has recycling bins situated around the campuses.
Any questions or suggestions? Email us.

Organic waste

Several office areas around the Melbourne Campus are no longer sending their food scraps and tea bags to landfill because the Infrastructure and Operations Group have provided Bokashi buckets in several office kitchenettes. The Bokashi system uses microorganisms to ferment organic waste without any odour.

The buckets can accept just about any organic waste including tissues, citrus, meat and tea bags. The only care that the Bokashi buckets require is a daily sprinkling of the Bokashi mix that contains the microorganisms and regular draining of the liquid (which can be used on the garden). Once the buckets are full, the nutrient-rich fermented waste is used by the Melbourne Community Garden.

Enquire about a Bokashi bucket (University staff at the Melbourne Campus only).

Mobile phones

Aussie Recycling donate $3 per phone to the Jane Goodall Institute to protect endangered gorillas in The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Why? A key component of mobile phones and most electronic equipment is Tantalum, which is extracted from a raw material known as Coltan. Coltan is mined illegally in The Congo's forests, which are the habitat of the endangered lowland gorillas. Coltan is allegedly sold to fund the current conflict in The Congo.

By recycling your phone you will be reducing the demand for Coltan mining as well as preventing many hazardous chemicals from entering landfill.

Phones can be recycled at the collection box in the Melbourne campus library foyer or sent via internal mail to:

Environmental Operations
Melbourne Campus

Batteries

Batteries contain dangerous heavy metals and, if sent to landfill, these metals pollute our soil and waterways and poison our plants and animals. To ensure batteries are recycled or at least disposed of properly, please use our battery recycling service.
Batteries often only have small amounts of recyclable material and some have none at all. Therefore, it is far better to use rechargeable batteries to reduce chemical waste.

Batteries can be sent via internal mail to:

Environmental Operations
Melbourne Campus

Printer cartridges

We use Cart Collect to recycle or refurbish our printer cartridges. This service is entirely free of charge, and in fact, your department may be able to create revenue from collected cartridges.

If you do not have a collection box in your area, please order one using the Cart Collect online registration form.

Fluorescent lighting

Fluorescent lighting is energy efficient, however the tubes contain mercury if fluorescent tubes are disposed of improperly, the mercury can enter soil and waterways and harm plant and animal life. La Trobe University recycles the mercury, glass, aluminium and phosphor from all of its discarded tubes.

First Friday Furniture 

First Friday Furniture is a program developed by the Environmental Operations and Maintenance Departments to reuse furniture within La Trobe University or in the homes of members of our community. Furniture that is in good condition gets taken to the furniture shed (click here for a map PDF 1.8MB) on the Melbourne Campus and made available to staff members and students through the First Friday Furniture program.

Open the first Friday of every month from February 2013.  The furniture shed is opened to staff and students for one hour between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm. Furniture can be reserved until pickup between 10.00 am and 10:30 am on the Saturday following First Friday Furniture day.

First Friday Furniture will occur in 2013 on:

February 1st, March 1st, April 5th, May 7th, June 7th, July 2nd, August 6th, October 4th, November 1st.

E-Waste and CD's and DVD's

E-waste is a name for electronic equipment such as computers and photocopiers nearing the end of their ‘useful life’. Some electronic equipment contains dangerous heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, which can leach into our soil and groundwater in landfill.

For this reason, it is important that E-Waste is disposed of in a responsible manner. Many of the materials in these products can be reused or recycled, and some equipment can be refurbished for a second life. For information on how you can recycle your office’s e-waste email us.

La Trobe staff can recycle all types of CDs and DVDs all you need to do is mail them to Gram Destruction:

Gram Destruction Factory 4/46 Allied Drive Tullamarine Vic 3043