The University of Oviedo and the Alcoa Foundation have started up a project aimed at the improvement of the management of waste generated in education centers in Avilés, Gijón and Piedras Blancas. Alcoa Foundation has contributed with 30.000 euros to develop this project whose aim is to promote recycling activities among the Asturian educational community, while providing young engineers with the opportunity to complete their training developing a high-impact practical activity. 

 

The initiative has been presented this morning in the Polytechnic School of Engineering of Gijón, in an event attended by the director of the Polytechnic School of Engineering of Gijón, Juan Carlos Campo, the director of Alcoa Avilés, Javier Menéndez López, the director of the University Institute for Industrial Technology in Asturias, Sandra Velarde and Professor of Environmental Technologies, Elena Marañón. 

 

The project, which includes training for 50 teachers and will involve around 1.500 members of the educational community, is led by the group Environment and Energy of the University Institute for Industrial Technology in Asturias, with the participation of engineering students as well, includes several actions: training courses, aluminum cans recycling contests at schools, final degree projects and publication of best practice manuals.

 

The students of the Polytechnic School of Engineering of Gijón, under the supervision of lecturers of the area of Environmental Technologies, will be in charge of giving the informative talks on waste management in schools, and they will also be responsible for implementing the selective collection of different types of waste which will be quantified according to their type (paper, cardboard, containers, laboratory waste, other types of waste). The project includes monitoring of results, proposals for improvement and elaboration of a best practices manual. This initiative will allow engineering students to write their degree final projects on Industrial Chemical Engineering (mention to Environmental Engineering and Sustainability).