University A-Z

See the following information relating to your university’s waste targets, waste policy, waste procedure and the Enva Waste Hierarchy.

A

• Aerosols- Empty aerosol cans cannot be recycled on campus. Please contact the Sustainability Team if you have large quantities of aerosols to dispose of.
• Asbestos– Please contact your Sustainability Team if you suspect that you have asbestos to dispose of as it can be harmful to health.

B

• Batteries- Portable batteries (AA, watch batteries, mobile phone batteries etc.) can be taken to the battery collection points located in... Large automotive or industrial batteries should be treated as hazardous waste. Batteries can be very dangerous if disposed of incorrectly due to the fire risk they present along with the harm they can cause to the environment. Members of the public can dispose of batteries at most supermarkets and household waste recycling centre.
• Bicycles- Unwanted bikes can be donated to local charities including… Or nationwide schemes like Re-cyclewhich sends bikes to people who need them in Africa, Halfords have partnered with the charity and have donation points all around the country.
• Books - Books of all types can be donated via the red British Heart Foundationcontainers on campus or other charities including Oxfam.If they are not suitable for reuse please contact Wastecycle directly to arrange a one off collection for recycling. 
• Brochures and catalogues- Please use the mixed recycling bins. In the future can you ask for online brochures instead?
• Bubble wrap- Please use the mixed recycling bins (but padded/jiffy envelopes should go in general waste as they're usually a combination of paper and plastic).
• Bulbs - Including strip lights, fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), mercury bulbs etc. These items are classified as hazardous waste and are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, please see Fluorescent tubes for more details.

C

• Cans - Please use the mixed recycling bins for food or drink cans. Please ensure that cans are empty, and preferably rinsed out, before recycling.
• Cardboard- Please use the mixed recycling bins. Please make sure that any inserts or packaging and metal strips or fasteners are removed.
• Carrier bags– Please try reusing the bags as much as possible, if they are unusable please use the mixed recycling bins. Have you considered getting a bag for life and cutting down your waste?
• CDs and DVDs– Both CDs and DVDs can be donated via the red British Heart Foundationcontainers on campus or to other charities including Oxfam. If they are not suitable for reuse please use the mixed recycling bins. The plastic cases that CDs and DVDs are usually stored in can also be placed in mixed recycling bins.
• Cling film- Please use the mixed recycling bins if it is clean.
• Clinical waste- Clinical waste must be stored in locked containers and is dealt with in the same way as hazardous waste. If a contract is not in place within your School or Faculty, please contact the Sustainability Team.
• Clothing– Clothes in good condition can be donated via the red British Heart Foundationcontainers on campus or through other charities including Oxfam. If they are not suitable for reuse please consider fashion departments/societies on site or local businesses or, if there is a large amount of textile, please contact your Sustainability Team. 
• Coffee cups and lids- Please use general waste bins for takeaway coffee cups (as the paper cups are usually plastic lined), but put plastic lids in mixed recycling bins. Have you considered buying a university reusable cup from catering outlets/shops?!
• Computer equipment- Most computer equipment is collected for recycling by the University's IT supplier. Please contact your Information Services Team or the Sustainability Team for more detail.
• Confidential waste/media (papers, audio tapes, video tapes, CDs, DVDs) – Please contact your Sustainability Team to learn about the process or to arrange a collection for your waste to be shredded securely and then recycled.
• Crisp packets- Please use general waste bins (as the packets are usually a combination of plastic and foil).

E

• Electrical appliances- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is subject to the WEEE Directive, which requires equipment to be reused or recycled. In most cases, you can return old electrical and electronic equipment free of charge by using suppliers’ or manufacturers’ take-back schemes. If you are unable to do this, please contact the Sustainability Team to arrange a collection of larger equipment or for the location of onsite WEEE bins for smaller items. 
• Envelopes- Envelopes can either be reused if in good condition or placed in mixed recycling bins. Please remove the plastic window if present as this is not recyclable.

F

• Floppy discs- Please use general waste bins.
• Fluorescent tubes- strip lights and mercury bulbs etc. are classed as hazardous waste and they must be dealt with by specialist waste contractors. Please contact the Sustainability Team if you need to dispose of these items.
• Foil - Please use the mixed recycling bins if it is clean.
• Food– Please use specific food bins if provided i.e. in catering and halls of residence buildings, the food waste is collected and converted into biofertiliser via anaerobic digestion. If not please use the general waste bin. Pretty much any food waste can be put in the caddies including fruit, vegetables, meat, tea bags etc. Please do not put liquids into the bins as they contaminate the waste and make a mess! Do you think your building needs more food bins and/or caddies? Please contact the Sustainability Team.
• Fridges and freezers- If the item is still in working order please offer it to others before disposal. If it is beyond repair and you are replacing it with a new unit, the retailer/manufacturer should offer a take-back service as part of the WEEE Directive. There may be a charge for this service. Any costs incurred must be recharged to individual departments. If this is not possible, contact the Sustainability Team to get the item removed. 
• Furniture- Surplus good quality furniture, in a usable condition, should first be advertised to other departments/areas of the University for reuse. If this is not an option, please contact the Sustainability Team to arrange collections, this will often be done through charities including the British Heart Foundation.

G

• Gas bottles/canisters- The container must either be returned to the supplier for reuse or disposed of as hazardous waste.
• Glass- Broken glass should be wrapped up securely, preferably sealed in a box and clearly labelled ready to be collected by cleaning staff. Glass can be recycled at particular sites around campus…
• -Green waste - this includes clipping, twigs, grass etc. Please contact your Sustainability Team if you think you will have any green waste to arrange for a skip and/or tonne bag to separately collect this in.

H

• Hazardous waste-Hazardous waste is produced in many areas of the university and its safe disposal is the responsibility of the departments that produce it. Common items of hazardous waste include acids and alkaline solutions, oils, batteries, chemicals, solvents, paints and dyes, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and TVs monitors. There are a number of contracts in place for the disposal of hazardous waste at your university. For further details please contact the Sustainability team.

L 

• Laboratory waste - Most Laboratory waste is treated in the same manner as Hazardous Waste, WEEE or Clinical Waste, depending on what it is. Your Health & Safety Coordinator and Lab technicians will have procedures in place for its appropriate disposal.

M

• Magazines- Please use the mixed recycling bins.
• Metal - A skip can be arranged to dispose of large amounts of metal. Please contact the Sustainability Team.
• Mobile phones- University mobile phones should be returned to internal Information Services. Personal mobiles can be donated to charities including Oxfamand the British Heart Foundation.

N

• Nappies – Nappies are classed as clinical waste and should be disposed of accordingly.
• Newspaper- Please use the mixed recycling bins.

O

• Oil (cooking)- This should be taken off site by the oil supplier. If you are unable to trace the supplier, please contact the Sustainability Team.
• Oil - Waste oil and any items contaminated with waste oil must be separately collected and safely stored prior to consignment and disposal as hazardous waste.

P

• Packaging- Most plastic or paper packaging can be put in mixed recycling bins, whereas packaging made of a combination of materials (e.g. foil lined card tubes/cartons) should be put in general waste bins. Wherever possible please work with suppliers to reduce the amount of packaging that comes with goods/products or ask for suppliers to set up take-back schemes.
• Paint- Please contact the Sustainability Team, as paint tins may be classed as Hazardous waste depending on the contents, or, if suitable for reuse, can be donated to charities such as Community Repaint.
• Paper - Please use the mixed recycling bins. Please make sure that any metal or plastic fasteners, clips, staples etc. are removed wherever possible as they can damage recycling equipment.
• Paper towels- Please use general waste bins.
• Plaster Board – Is a specialist waste and so must be segregated separately in a skip, please contact the Sustainability Team to discuss the booking process for this.
• Plastic- Wastecycle are able to recycle most types of plastic, which should be disposed of in our mixed recycling bins. Please ensure that there is no food waste left behind and the plastic packaging is clean (where possible). Have you considered buying a reusable water bottle?
• Plastic bags- Please use the mixed recycling bins.
• Polystyrene- Please use general waste bins.
• Printer cartridges- Consumables from print devices can usually be collected by the Print Services Team to be reused or recycled.

R 

• Radioactive waste - Radioactive waste is the responsibility of the department that produces it and must be disposed of according to Hazardous Waste Procedures. Please contact your Hazardous Waste representative or the Sustainability Team to arrange safe disposal.
• Ring binders– Please try look to donate them to other departments/ set up a pop-up reuse student shop if they are in good condition. If not then please, use the mixed recycling bins.

T 

• Tetrapacks- Please use general waste bins.
• Textiles– Please contact the Sustainability Team to arrange a collection if you have a large quantity of textiles that can not be reused.
• Tissues- Please use general waste bins.
• Toner cartridges- See Printer cartridges.

W

• White goods- See Electrical appliances.
• Wrapping paper - every Christmas, enough wrapping paper is used to cover the island of Jersey – do you need to use so much? If the paper stays scrunched then it’s suitable for recycling, if it keeps its shape (plastic lined) then it can’t be.
• Wood- A skip can be arranged to dispose of large amounts of wood. Please contact the Sustainability Team.

Why is this important?

It is important to cut down on waste as much as possible and dispose of unavoidable waste in a legally compliant and sustainable fashion both for the university to avoid fines and look after the surrounding environment. That is why your university and Enva abide by the Waste Hierarchy seen below. This details the most sustainable ways for waste to be dealt with.

• Changing your behaviour by limiting what you buy and using quality reusable items will prevent the need to deal with as much waste. 
• Reusing/upcycling items means that other people can get use out of them which not only prevents excess buying but also limits the amount of waste. 
• Enva recycles over 95% of the waste that passes through our facility from bins and skips throughout the university which massively reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfill. 
• Separately collected food waste goes through anaerobic digestion to recover as much energy as possible from the waste. 
• Landfill disposal is the least favourable option for any waste due to the harmful greenhouse gases that are produced as well as the large disruption to both wildlife and local people.