Spotlight on Waste month – the roundup

November was Spotlight on Waste month. The month where we highlight what we need to do as a University to meet our waste targets (95% recycling target and a continuous year-on-year reduction in wastes arising). The Environment and Energy section hosted events and visited departments to see how we can better reduce the volume of waste we produce, reuse what we no longer need and recycle what remains.

Activities during the month came under the following headings:

Record

During Spotlight on Waste month departments were encouraged to gain a greater understanding of their waste. Fifteen departments received a comprehensive breakdown of their waste data that they can share and some departments like Philosophy went one step further to carry out an audit of each of their offices. Carrying out this assessment allowed Philosophy to identify problem wastes, which helped them to provide guidance to their colleagues.

At a University level, the bin-busting challenge helped us to get a better idea of the quality of our recycling waste and showed where further education is needed.

Reuse

The University’s sharing platform, WarpIt, extended its reach in November to include donations to charities. The platform is open to all staff, it is easy to register and you can either claim items or put resources on the platform that you no longer need. To encourage staff to join the platform, during November we placed a number of prizes on WarpIt that could be claimed.

A group of staff travelled to Cambridge Scrapstore on the 21 November. Cambridge Scrapstore is a City Council initiative which asks organisations and individuals to donate wastes, which can then be used as craft materials. Items purchased were then used at an Upcycle Workshop on 23 November, Black Friday. Instead of battling the crowds in the city shops, staff and students were welcomed to 17 Mill Lane where they made beautiful Christmas decorations from old newspapers, plastic bottles, books, scrap materials and corks.

Recycle

In the 2017 bin-busting challenge we looked at the general waste bins in the University. In that assessment 15% of the waste found in the general waste bin should have gone to recycling. It was clear from these figures that education was needed and through our recent waste roadshows in PDN, the University Library, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and in Anatomy we were able to help staff and students learn which waste goes where.

Two workshops were also held for laboratory staff to address their specific waste needs. Unigreen scheme presented at both as their service allows labs to find a new home for any equipment they no longer need.

The Environment and Energy section will continue to monitor waste data across the University. If you would like to have access to your department’s waste data please contact us and do get in touch if you would like our Environment and Energy to run a waste education roadshow where you work.