Waste and Recycling

As a large organisation the University can has influence the wider environment, particularly through how and what goods and services we purchase. We also share best practice, expertise and combine knowledge and leadership for embedding sustainable practices through our external networks.

Managing waste responsibly is an important part of the University’s commitment to sustainability. Every day, activities across our sites generate materials that must be carefully managed - from packaging and food waste to office materials and laboratory waste. Our approach focuses on reducing environmental impact by minimising unnecessary waste and ensuring materials are managed as sustainably as possible. By working together with staff, students, and partners, we are continually improving how waste is reduced, reused and managed across the University.

At the heart of our approach is the waste hierarchy, a simple framework that prioritises the most environmentally responsible options:

  1. The top priority is prevention - avoiding waste in the first place by reducing unnecessary consumption, choosing durable products and designing processes that use fewer resources.
  2. The next step is reuse, where items are used again for the same or a new purpose.
  3. After that comes recycling, where materials such as paper, plastics, glass, and metals are processed into new products. Whilst recycling is important, reducing and reusing come first, as avoiding waste altogether has the greatest environmental impact.

Through increased recycling facilities and awareness initiatives across campus, the University achieved a recycling rate of 56% in 2024–25, continuing a strong upward trend from 51% in 2023–24 and 39% in 2022–23. This progress reflects improvements in waste segregation, clearer recycling guidance and growing engagement from the University community.

Student engagement plays an especially important role in reducing waste. Each year, the University runs a campaign encouraging students to donate unwanted items when moving out of accommodation rather than throwing them away. During the 2024–25 campaign, 9.0 tonnes of items were donated - an increase from 7.5 tonnes in 2023–24 and 4.1 tonnes in 2022–23 - helping to give items a second life while reducing waste sent for disposal. These donations were made to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), supporting both environmental sustainability and charitable causes. By prioritising waste prevention, encouraging reuse, and improving recycling, the University community is helping to create a more circular and resource-efficient campus.