Today's college students may be notorious for their short attention spans, but they are also famous for banding together en masse to support worthy social causes. School administrations can also be powerful allies in both the promotion and execution of college or university-based initiatives. By helping to integrate recycling systems into the school's day-to-day operations, colleges and universities can define best practices and set expectations for student compliance.

Today's college students will be managing households in the very near future. By setting them up to value and adopt regular recycling habits now, you will continue to see returns over time as they age and influence their spouses, children and neighbors. Some colleges are even expanding their zero waste programs off-campus and becoming thought leaders in the community at large.

Understanding the Student Mindset

‍In order to engage your student community, it's important to understand how they operate. There are two key differentiator between young students and residents in older demographics: the way they utilize technology and their social nature. We've all heard that younger generations spend a lot of time on their smartphones, and the numbers drive home how pervasive this technology really is. Recent studies show that 70% of Gen Z and Millennials preferring texts over a phone call, with 1/4 admitting to never picking up the phone at all. 48% also prefer to communicate via social media. Smartphones are central to young people's social interactions.

As a result, part of your college outreach strategy needs to meet students where they are: on their phones.

But students aren't solitary creatures who only live on their devices. College culture is also driven by group-centric activities, participation in social causes, and a sense of belonging.

How to Engage College Students

When creating an outreach strategy, consider the following:

• Use social media: Make sure your promotions have a social media component, and have resources available to respond to questions in a timely manner. A key component of getting your message across involves connecting with your students.
• Be authentic: No one likes to be talked down to, and college students are no exception.
• Don't Speak the Lingo: Unless you are a native Gen Z marketer and understand the nuances of their slang, just keep the tone neutral and the language simple.
• Engage the group: Create promotions that encourage students to create their own groups and work together. Not only will this make your programs more effective, but they'll take initiative and build on what you've started.
• Give them the tools they need: They don't need handholding, but they do need support. Always be available to answer questions.
• Reward them for good behavior: Younger generations like to know when they've done a good job, and this knowledge will help prompt further action.
• Appeal to their sense of social justice: Today's students care about the environment and each other. Show them how their activities make the world a better place, explain how to do it, and then watch them run with it.

Given their high levels of sociability, social activism, concern for the environment and accessibility through digital channels, today's college students are a great place to building a widespread recycling awareness program that will last well into life beyond college.