By Megan Stacey
Katarina Kukolj still remembers her Grade 5 Earth Day assembly. She was horrified by photos of huge garbage piles rotting in the ocean.
It didn't sit right.
She decided then she wanted to be a scientist and work in conservation.
The images inspired a lifelong passion for nature and the environment, one that led her to serve as the Minister of Environment on her elementary school students' council and later brought her to Western to study biology.
Kukolj, BSc'20, introduced a compost program in the biology department and launched face mask recycling during the heart of the pandemic, when she was the sustainability representative for the Society of Biology Graduate Students (SOBGS).
"I saw so much litter outside, especially masks. Snack wrappers were next on the list," she said.
That's when she discovered TerraCycle, which offers recycling options for hard-to-reuse items like single-use coffee pods, mascara wands, razors and plastic wrappers.
Katarina Kukolj with the snack wrapper recycling box on the second floor of Western's University Community Centre, outside The Wave. (Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)
Kukolj received $4,000 from the new Western Sustainable Impact Fund to expand snack wrapper recycling beyond the biology department. She now monitors nine boxes across seven buildings, including spots in Middlesex College, outside the Grad Club, and the University Community Centre.
Enthusiastic response' to wrapper recycling on campus
Kukolj buys snack wrapper recycling boxes from the company - essentially, carboard boxes with a pre-paid shipping label - which covers the cost of returning the material to the company and the work to clean, sort and process it. Before receiving the new grant, funding for the boxes came from SOBGS and the Society of Graduate Students sustainability committee.
The uptake at Western has been strong.
"The response has been very enthusiastic, especially in offices and lunchrooms. People are throwing away these items anyway, so it's another opportunity to minimize waste. They really like that," Kukolj said.
Chip bags, granola bar wrappers, candy packages, even resealable plastic bags and blister packs for gum can be recycled in the TerraCycle box.
She hopes to grow the program even further with plans to add boxes in high-traffic areas where people often eat, such as Einstein's Cafe. Kukolj's passion has turned into a pilot project, with Western's sustainability office also eyeing the results.
"It wonderful to see this student-led initiative having such an impact on campus," said Heather Hyde, Western's director of sustainability.
"With each wrapper that is recycled, students are not only helping to reduce landfill waste but are also fostering a culture of environmental stewardship that resonates across our campus community."
Next wave of recycling leaders needed
For now, Kukolj manages the entire program from start to finish. She checks the boxes to monitor for capacity and sifts through the contents to fish out any waste products that make their way into the boxes.
With Kukolj graduating in the fall, she needs support to ensure snack wrapper recycling won't disappear. There is interest from other members of the Society of Graduate Students' sustainability committee, which funded one of the first boxes from TerraCycle after Kukolj launched the effort with support from SOBGS.
"I hope this will pique someone's interest, and they'll apply for sustainability funding again," she said.
All the work to develop new waste diversion programs at Western has come naturally to Kukolj.
"I just really love being involved at school, thinking of different ways I could help. It's something I've always been passionate about." - Katarina Kukolj, master's student in biology
A future in sustainability
Kukolj hasn't wavered on her path since that Grade 5 commitment to conservation. Her work in biology professor Greg Thorn's lab focuses on an edible mushroom with antimicrobial properties that grows in Newfoundland, Lepista nuda, and the role it plays as "nature's vacuum."
It's also good on pizza, Kukolj said with a chuckle.
"We're collaborating with an industry partner that is interested in using this fungus as an environmentally friendly pesticide for small-scale organic farming," she said.
After graduation, she hopes to work in a field related to sustainability or conservation, though she hasn't ruled out a PhD in the future.
"I love research, being out in the field, out in nature - but also, I think lab work is really cool. That combination would be ideal."
