Waste & Recycling
Here you can find out everything you need to know about what to do with your waste at the university and how the university disposes of it.
The university aims to achieve a 60% recycling rate by 2020/21. We monitor our waste collections on a daily basis and review our performance on a monthly basis. We use these monthly reports to make continuous improvements to our waste management system.
Re-use & Donations
We aim to re-use items before disposing of them as waste. You can find out how we do this with our furniture here.
At Harrow Campus we have a permanently based British Heart Foundation Collection Bank where clothing can be donated.
| Yes Please | No Thanks |
| Wearable clothes | Blankets/Quilts |
| Books | Carpets/Rugs |
| Shoes | Pillows/Cushions |
| Handbags | Glass |
| CD’s & DVD’s | Metal |
| Games | Rags |
| Toys | Rubbish |
| Homeware |
Often when students are leaving halls at the end of the academic year they have items they no longer need but are still in good condition such as pots, pans, slow cookers, etc. When this time comes we provide British Heart Foundation drop off points to make donating items easy for students.
Mixed recycling bins are available throughout each campus. The following items are accepted in the mixed recycling:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Metal Cans
- Recyclable Plastics
- Glass Bottles
Our mixed recycling is collect and taken to Bywaters Material Recovery Facility in East London. Take a look a the 360° degree video to see how the different recyclable items are segregated.
If you think you need additional recycling bins in your area, have an idea on how to improve recycling in your area or have any questions then please let us know!
All general (non-recyclable) waste produced at the university is diverted from landfill and taken to a waste to energy facility. You can take a virtual tour of the facility here and find out more about how much energy the facility generates.
The most common non-recyclable items produced at the university are:
- Polystyrene
- Contaminated food packaging
- Crisp Packets
- Sweet Wrappers
In all catering outlets we separate food waste at the back of house for recycling. This is monitored through regular audits and staff training through the Green Kitchen Standard.
By segregating food from general waste bins we aim to increase our recycling rate. Therefore we will be trialing and rolling out food waste bins in halls and staff areas.
All food waste collected from the university goes to anaerobic digestion facilities which generates energy and high grade fertilizer.
Items accepted in the food waste stream are:
- Used Coffee Grounds
- Teabags
- Leftover Food Waste (Bread, Pasta, Meats, etc.)
- Compostable Packaging (such as Vegware)
At Harrow & Marylebone Campus’s we have a Metal Waste Skip, Wood Waste Skip and Bulky Waste Skip.
Students and staff have access to these so we kindly ask that the signage is followed and all waste is segregated correctly before being put into the skips. These skips have a large impact on our recycling rate and contaminating them can mean the whole load doesn’t get recycled!
Battery Recycling
Battery recycling points can be found on each site. These are usually located at reception or within office breakout areas.
Household batteries, Mobile phone, laptop, hearing aid, power tool, watch & clock and power tool batteries can be recycled at these points.
Recycling batteries is your chance to contribute towards a more sustainable environment- tackling soil contamination and noxious emissions to the air!
If you are unable to locate your local battery recycling point please let the Sustainability Team know.
Electronic Waste
Waste Electronic and Electronic Equipment (WEEE waste) cannot be disposed of in any of the regular bins. If you need to dispose of any WEEE waste or Printer Toners then contact the IT Team who will be able to deal with your request.
Where possible we aim to repair any university equipment, if this is not possible it will be recycled. All WEEE waste disposals are tracked using consignment notes to ensure they are responsibly disposed.
We are part of Electronics Watch in order to improve the ethics within our ICT supply chain.
Any Other Waste
As a university we also produce other types of waste such as chemical, clinical and offensive waste. If you have any questions about how we handle these types of waste or any other queries please contact the Sustainability Team.