Recycling and waste
The University actively promotes recycling and re-use throughout university accommodation to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. All residences are provided with bins and there are many recycling points located close to residences and around campus.
What can be recycled?
- The Recycling Poster explains which items can be recycled in your accommodation.
- Students living in a UPP residence should refer to the Veolia Recycling poster.
- The Food Waste Recycling Poster shows how to dispose of your food waste.
- This Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: A Student Guide provides detailed information on how to reuse and recycle various items.
How can you reduce your energy and water consumption?
- Switch off lights and unplug chargers when not in use.
- Avoid leaving heating on while windows are open.
- Turn off taps while brushing your teeth and take shorter showers.
- Report leaks to the maintenance team promptly.
- The Sustainable Living in Halls Flyer gives helpful tips on reducing your carbon footprint.
Did you know?
If a bin is contaminated with even a small amount of incorrect waste, none of its contents can be recycled. This includes plastic bags, which can't be placed into recycling bins.
Top tips:
- Avoid leaving rubbish bags next to the bins. If bins are full, please tell your Residence Reception.
- Clean out your recycling bins after they’re emptied to keep them fresh and clean.
How do I dispose of non-recyclable waste?
- Buildings have designated waste disposal areas externally or internally in shared locations, e.g., Receptions, Laundry Rooms, or Common Rooms. If you're unsure where your nearest is, ask at your Residence Reception.
- Non-recyclable waste includes items such as non-recyclable packaging, contaminated food containers, Tetrapaks, and other non-recyclable plastics.
- Waste is collected throughout the week by the University's contracted Waste and Recycling company.
Top tips:
- Securely bag up your waste before placing it in the external bins.
- Don't place vapes, hot items, liquids, glass, or sharp items such as razor blades in bins. Please speak to the cleaning team about how to dispose of these things safely. If you live in a studio, ask your Residence Reception for a secure container.
- Don't overfill bags and make sure there isn’t any liquid leaking out when you’re carrying them through your building.
- Follow the waste disposal instructions provided.
- Use the correct bins, which are clearly labelled.
- Keep waste areas tidy. If bins are overflowing or damaged, report it to your Residence Reception.
- Never leave waste in corridors, stairwells, or communal spaces.
Across campus, there are also:
- Hospiscare boxes provided for the collection of optical glasses and stamps.
- Collection points for battery recycling within your residence reception.
- British Heart Foundation donation points for unwanted clothes and shoes that can be used to raise money for the charity as part of the Moving On project.
- The Campus Services Helpdesk, which can help you with unwanted items that have the University logo and text.
When you move out for a vacation or at the end of your contract, you may have items that you no longer want or can't take with you. Make use of the schemes available on campus to help dispose of your goods responsibly - through the Gift it, Reuse it scheme or the British Heart Foundation Moving On project. Find out more on our Moving out pages.
The University is committed to improving environmental performance by setting clear targets for waste and recycling, such as reducing the total amount of waste generated by 1% each year, recycling 45% of waste and composting 95% of our biodegradable waste.
Since September 2014, we've sent all our general waste to a waste-to-energy plant rather than landfill.
For further information about sustainability across the University’s campuses, please visit these sustainability pages.
