Sustainability at OP

Going green is a group effort.

At Otago Polytechnic, we’re keen to minimise our environmental footprint and work towards a greener future. One of our core values as an organisation is sustainability.

There are loads of ways you can take part in the sustainability movement on campus.

Recycle and Compost

All around campus, you’ll find bins for recycling, organic waste, glass and landfill. Please check the labels on the bins to put things in the right place.

Organic waste like food scraps and coffee grounds get fed to our campus worms at the Pōpopo Wormporium. The worms produce compost which then gets used on our campus gardens in a lovely circular system.

You can also drop off plastic bottle caps from your drink bottles and milk containers beside Eden Café. These caps are recycled by our Allied Trades teams at the EPICentre. Remember, plastic bottle caps cannot go into your kerbside DCC recycle bins, so dropping them off at Eden Café keeps that plastic out of landfill.   

Grab a snack from the Living Campus Garden

We have a living campus garden—you are welcome to help yourself to the herbs, fruit and vegetables grown right here on campus. Look for the ‘pick me now’ signs if you aren’t sure what’s ripe to harvest. We ask that you be mindful and only take what you will use so that there’s plenty to go around.

Buy Fair Trade coffee and tea on campus

Sustainability is about people, too. Otago Polytechnic serves Fair Trade tea, coffee and sugar at our campus cafés and at campus events to ensure the people who grow these products get a fair price for their mahi.

Borrow a bicycle

You can borrow a ‘Poly-bike’ free of charge from the Sargood Centre, Art School reception or Customer Services in The Hub. There are also plenty of bike racks all around campus if you’re riding your own.  

Use OPSA’s Free Table / Clothing Rack to swap your stuff

Check out the table and clothing rack next to OPSA in the Hub. Feel free to take anything of use and to donate things you don’t use anymore—just please make sure it’s all in good working order before you drop it off.

Bring your own or borrow a reusable cup from Eden Café or Hīnaki Café

Our cafes don’t have any single-use takeaway cups. You are welcome to bring your own or borrow a container using the Again Again app.