Submitted by Peter Lumb on Mon, 2015-12-07 16:45
During November, the Environment & Energy section focused on waste and recycling for the first ever ‘Spotlight on Waste’ month. Here we round up some of the action:
Amey Questions?
We took a trip to Amey Cespa with a number of our departmental Environment and Energy Coordinators. It was a great chance to see where all our waste and recycling ends up after it leaves our bins. The state-of-the-art facility in Waterbeach handles much of the University’s waste, so it was interesting to find out how it is sorted, treated, and recycled - as well as to ask the experts some of our burning questions on waste! We are sure all of the EECs who attended will be returning to their offices to spread the word about getting everything in the right bin!
Warp Speed!
Throughout the month, we have also put a number of promotional items onto WarpIt, the free internal reuse
system which allows staff to advertise unneeded University-owned items to others, saving on waste disposal
and purchasing costs.
Bin Busting!
The Living Lab Coordinator is planning a research project with academics and students at the University to understand what goes into our waste and what is recycled by a number of departments. The study aims to follow up on a longitudinal study running since the 1990s, and involves a sample survey of the types and quantities of waste being disposed of via the University’s trade waste bins. The project will be conducted by a small group of undergraduate and masters students, Dr Edmund Tanner from Plant Sciences, and the Environment and Energy
Section. The data from this project should provide detailed information on the proportions of different materials making up the trade waste stream. This will then be used for determining ways to increase recycling and minimise
waste.
World Wide (Waste) Web
During the month, lots of information and guidance has been added to the Environment & Energy website about how
to improve recycling rates and reduce waste outputs in University departments.
This includes:
- Frequently asked questions from staff about what goes in what bin! www.bit.ly/1P8sMdo
- Simple ways that departments can cut their waste and increase their recycling: www.bit.ly/1QHxE9H
- Guidance on running a waste audit in University departments and Colleges: www.bit.ly/1NOG0Gc
Stay tuned for our next 'Spotlight on' month in February...