To ensure we're achieving the highest environmental standards, we're implementing the EcoCampus Environmental Management System across all our UK campuses. EcoCampus is the environmental management scheme for Higher and Further Education. It's in line with the international management system standard ISO 14001.
Having an Environmental Management System in place ensures we've identified all the possible environmental impacts arising from our operations. We're working to reduce those impacts and eliminate them where possible.
We've achieved the EcoCampus Bronze award and we're currently working towards Silver.
General waste
Suez, our waste contractor, is working with us to help us achieve better environmental outcomes.
Suez takes our waste left over after recycling and processes it under controlled conditions to produce electricity and heat. This is used for many purposes, such as heating thousands of homes or nearby businesses. This is a sustainable way to dispose of waste, rather than sending it to landfill.
Recycling
We also use Suez to dispose of our recycling in an efficient and sustainable way.
Suez has many recycling facilities where they process dry mixed recycling like paper, cardboard, steel and aluminium cans, plastics, and glass. It uses highly efficient technologies to maximise the quality of recycling. Any materials that can't be recycled are turned into fuel rather than sent to landfill.
What can be recycled?
Although we're achieving a good level of recycling, it's still a form of waste disposal with an environmental and financial cost.
To reduce waste even further, we're working on new ways to support our community to have a 'buy less' mindset, both at home and on campus. This means being thoughtful about the things we buy and use, and considering what will happen to those things when we've finished with them.
Here's what you can and can't recycle on campus: