Try to avoid disposable coffee cups, plastic bottles, straws and cutlery and use reusable items instead. Try to buy products with minimal or no packaging and when you do have to throw something away, it’s important to recycle what you can.
Recycle
All University buildings and student halls all have three different bins, which are emptied daily and you should be separating your waste into the right bin.
- Blue bins are for paper
- Red bins are for plastic glass products only
- Grey bins are for metal
- Green bins are for glass only (these should totally clean and completely intact. Any broken glass should go in the small sharps bin).
You can also recycle batteries with convenience by using the battery recycling bins on campus, if you’d like one in your department, you can order through BatteryBack. If you’re ever unsure what can or can’t be put in recycling bin, see below or check out this handy online recycling checker.
Use collection services
The University collects paper, cardboard, fridges, freezers, washing machines and other electrical and electronic components from your buildings free of charge and make them ready to be 100% recycled.
Think before you print
Help us go paperless and take paperless notes on a tablet or laptop, store your files online and use whatever digital technologies you have at your disposal. The University has a Managed Print Service, which allows your printing job to follow you around campus. Print jobs are defaulted to double side printing and are automatically be deleted if not collected within a week.
Use reusable items
From reusable coffee cups to bags for life, there are lots of ways to cut down on throw-away packaging and single-use items. Reusable shopping bags for life save 5p per use, reusable coffee cups save 15p per use and reusable water bottles save 50p per use. The University provides free tap water in all the catering outlets and buildings and encourages staff and students to use tap water in preference to bottled water.
Buy less
Ordering and consuming less is the easiest way to cut down on waste. If you are ordering items then try and consolidate ordering by buying less frequently, or ordering for the whole building, school or department so you use less packaging.
Donate
Another great way to avoid waste is by donating items to be sold second-hand at charity shops. It is as beneficial to the environment as it is personally rewarding. You can also donate free items online on Freecycle, Gumtree and local Facebook.
Your waste is another person’s treasure, unwanted items from the home can be put onto the Marketplace.
Sell responsibly
Sell your unwanted items online on selling platforms such as Gumtree, Depop, Vinted and eBay before you buy new – not only will you help save the environment but also the contents of your wallet.
See our Recycling Guide.pdf for information on how to recycle at the University.
Back to: Sustainability