Last year, the National University of Mongolia (NUM) and MCS Coca-Cola LLC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a broad partnership. As part of this collaboration and in line with NUM’s strategic plan, the two organizations successfully organized the “Recycling Champion” plastic collection competition to encourage faculty, staff, and students to develop the habit of sorting and separating waste.
Initiated by MCS Coca-Cola, the competition was organized in partnership with the TML Plastic Recycling Plant and the relevant departments and units of the National University of Mongolia. Plastic collection activities were carried out over the course of more than one month.
To promote advanced waste management practices and foster responsible recycling habits, dedicated plastic sorting bins were installed in every academic building across the university.
As part of the competition, training sessions on the proper sorting of PET plastic waste were provided to school coordinators, service staff, and student association representatives. Information on the importance of plastic recycling was then shared with faculty members and students throughout the university.
In addition, each school introduced a system for consolidating the recyclables collected within its buildings and transporting them to the recycling plant on a weekly basis. This regular collection system significantly increased student participation in the “Recycling Champion” competition.
Participants also created creative social media reels demonstrating how plastic is sorted at their respective schools and shared their experiences with others.
More than 16,000 faculty members, staff, and students from eight constituent schools of the National University of Mongolia participated enthusiastically and creatively in the competition. Over the course of one month, they collected 3.5 tons of plastic. The properly sorted plastic bottles collected through the competition are being recycled into raw material for Bonaqua, the first brand in Mongolia to use bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. Recycling plastic bottles into food-grade packaging instead of producing bottles from virgin plastic reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 3,700 kg.
This is equivalent to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that would otherwise require 61,334 trees to absorb over the course of an entire day.
How to Sort Plastic Correctly
Anyone who wishes to contribute to protecting the environment can contact the TML Plastic Recycling Plant’s Collection Department at 7610-7711 to arrange for their plastic waste to be collected.
Guide: How to Sort Plastic