Cutting out single-use items – examples from around the University 

• Cambridge Archaeological Unit set up a simple labelling system to reuse sealable plastic bags used for collecting artefacts during excavations. With each one being put to use as many as six times, the team estimate they have diverted nearly 400kg of plastic from disposal. 

• At the University Library, cleaning staff have switched to concentrated cleaning products which are mixed on-site for use in reusable bottles, saving on disposable spray containers.  

• The Isaac Newton Institute switched from giving long-term visitors to the building bottled or canned water, instead offering reusable, refillable bottles made from recycled plastic to visitors, for a £1 donation to Wateraid. 

• The Graduate Admissions office found a way to cut down on printing of electronic application documents, saving 400 to 600 pages of printing a week!  

• Churchill College eliminated snack packaging at the College bar, selling snacks by weight rather than in pre-packaged bags. 

Read more examples and case studies on reducing waste, and get tips on how you can do the same on our waste guidance pages.

Get involved - take the ‘Single Out’ Survey

Update to this article: the Single Out Survey is now closed, the results are available here.

Click this link or use the QR code pictured below to visit the SIngle Out survey.

How to fill out the survey:

Step 1: Think about the waste you generate in the course of a day or week at work, or get together with a few colleagues to brainstorm the single-use items you use in your department – ideally involve colleagues from a few different areas (e.g. lab researchers, academics, office staff, catering and events staff, or staff involved in cleaning, maintenance, stores and deliveries). We don’t expect a comprehensive account of all items you use, but we’re hoping to gain an insight into the most common types, and amounts, of single-use disposable items used across the University.  

Step 2: Visit the survey and fill it out for up to 20 items. It’s OK to answer the survey using estimated figures, however it’s better if you can back up your responses with sources of data such as: 

• Purchase orders or invoices – these can give an accurate record of actual purchases, and often display amounts or weights of items. 

• Supplier data – some suppliers will provide information on the amount of products purchased under an institutional account on request. 

• Visual or physical bin audits – rooting through bins for a formal waste audit is not advisable in the Covid-era, but you may have carried one out previously which you can refer back to, or you could do quick visual checks of bin contents for an idea of the types and number of items disposed of. 

• Staff surveys – asking staff how many items they use can capture valuable data. A simple survey might help, or ask a small group of colleagues to keep a record of what they dispose of at work over the course of a week. 

• Anecdotal sources – end-users of items, such as cleaners, lab or facilities managers or other staff, may have a really good idea of the waste they generate, or which they see generated, in their workplace. 

You can collect data covering any period of time, whether it be a day, week, month or longer but when entering your figures in the survey, please factor your figures so that they show equivalent use over a year. If you think your use of single-use items is currently curtailed by lockdown, ideally try to obtain figures which give an average use accounting for both pre-lockdown usage and current usage. 

Step 3: Click submit! We’d like responses as soon as possible in the new year, but will keep the survey open until 12 February.

Contact sustainability@admin.cam.ac.uk if you have any queries or require guidance on filling out the form.