We’re making a number of changes to help reduce single-use plastic on campus — including introducing a levy on disposable hot drink cups and installing more water coolers around campus.
In May 2018 the University of Nottingham and Students’ Union asked students and staff what they thought of the amount of single-use plastic thrown away on campus. There was an incredible response, with over 99% of respondents to our survey (over 3,000 in total) saying they want to help reduce single-use plastic waste.
Many people suggested ways they could personally support waste reduction and after assessing the responses the University of Nottingham and Students’ Union has shaped a number of targets as part of a new campaign: ‘#WasteNott’.
For the first phase of the WasteNott campaign we're focusing on three headline objectives that we’re encouraging everyone to get involved with:
- Reuse – bring a reusable cup for your hot drink, instead of using single-use disposable cups
- Refill – refill your drink bottle, rather than using a new plastic bottle each time
- Refuse – say no to unnecessary single-use plastic
To help support a more sustainable approach, we’re installing more water coolers around campus, so that you can fill up and reuse bottles more easily. We’ll be publishing details of all cooler locations soon.
We’re also providing reusable hot drink cups for sale at all University catering outlets. At the start of the September 2018 session we introduced a levy on disposable hot drink cups and any income from the levy will be used to find projects to reduce our waste output, including subsidising reusable cups.
Get involved and play your part: you’ll find more details of the campaign at the WasteNott website.
Posted on Thursday 4th October 2018