Have you spotted Sam roaming around the library eating all the paper?
It’s a scenario every student knows too well. You’re at the library, you just printed your ten-page final paper, and then you see it: a typo on page three. Or maybe you’ve finally survived midterms, and your backpack is exploding with study notes you never want to look at again.
Usually, that paper ends up in the recycling bin—or worse, the trash—and is hauled away, never to be seen again. But the UPEI Climate Action Association (CAA) has a better idea. If you’ve walked by the printers in the Robertson Library recently, you might have noticed a new face. His name is Sam. He’s a bin, he has googly eyes, and he has a serious appetite for your used paper. Sam is the face of our new Campus Paper Recycling Drive.
The goal is simple but pretty cool: instead of shipping our paper waste off-campus, we want to keep it right here and give it a second life. We are collecting clean, used paper (old essays, misprints, scribbled notes) to save for next semester.
What’s the plan?
Next semester, the CAA will be hosting a hands-on paper-making workshop. We’re going to take all the paper Sam eats, pulp it, and turn it into brand-new, handmade sheets of paper and notebooks.
Imagine writing your Winter semester notes on a notebook made entirely from your Fall semester waste. That’s the circular economy in action, right here at UPEI. Imagine writing your Winter semester notes on a notebook made entirely from your Fall semester waste. That’s the circular economy in action, right here at UPEI.
How you can help:
It’s super easy. When you’re at the library and have paper you don’t need:
- Make sure it’s clean (Sam hates napkins and food wrappers).
- Walk over to the printing section in the Robertson Library.
- Feed Sam and feel good about giving your paper a second life!
So, before you toss that rough draft in the general recycling, look for Sam our paper monster. Help us close the loop, reduce waste, and prep for some serious DIY fun next semester. Sam is always hungry, so don’t be shy!
IG: @upei.climate
Website: upeiclimateaction.ca
