Waste and recycling
The University of Nottingham produces around 3,000 tonnes of waste each year. Historically the majority of this has gone to landfill, but we have worked hard to reduce the waste we produce and maximise recycling. As a result, we’ve significantly increased our recycling rate from 5% in 2005 to 85% in 2012 (includes recovery by the waste contractor). We want to do more and with your help we can – find out how you can be involved.
We're reducing waste by...
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Composting food waste from halls of residence and catering outlets
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Composting around 500 tonnes of garden waste each year, to reuse within the campus grounds as soil improver
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Reusing spare furniture
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Recycling IT equipment through our IT supplier [UoN access only]
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Running battery recycling scheme for portable batteries
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Working with contractors to reduce waste during construction projects
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Working with local charities to reuse bedding from halls of residence
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Running end of year ‘clear-out’ scheme for students to donate unwanted items to local community and charities
The 3 Rs
Reduce
The best way to stop sending waste to landfill is to stop producing so much waste in the first place! Think before you buy resources and try to reduce the amount of consumables you use.
Reuse
When you no longer need an item, consider whether it could be reused by someone else.
Recycle
Even if an item has been reused lots of times, sometimes the product comes to a natural end. Instead of disposing of this item to landfill, please recycle it instead. Recycling items means that new products can be made out of used materials.