Recycling rates are on the up thanks to staff and students

Thursday, 01 November 2012

'We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been making an effort to recycle waste across the University.' Anna Glue, Environment and Sustainability Coordinator

Thanks to efforts from staff and students around the University, we have recycled more of our waste than ever before. In the last academic year 53.7% of the University's waste was diverted away from landfill which exceeds the ambitious target of 50% set in 2011/12.

Glass recycling continues to be successful across our campuses; with the strategic positioning of bottle banks and the addition of location maps on the website, staff and students are able to recycle glass from any location. Plus recycling of confidential and food waste has significantly increased in recent years; for example, this year 104 tonnes of food waste from our catering outlets was recycled at an anaerobic digestion plant near Oxford.

Anna Glue, Environment and Sustainability Coordinator, said: "We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been making an effort to recycle waste across the University, and a special thanks to the Environmental Champions, the Clean and Green team, Cleaners and Porters without whom we could all be drowning in rubbish!"

Despite this good news, there is a still lot more to be done: a recent waste audit (which involved the EEST Team digging through general waste bins) of two buildings found that 30-40% of the waste could have been recycled.

What can you do?

Remove bins from under individual desks and install central bins for mixed recycling, paper and card and general waste
Put up recycling posters so everyone is clear about what can go in each bin
Have a look at the A-Z guide to waste and recycling which details what other wastes can be recycled, e.g. batteries, electrical items and toner cartridges
If there are other recycling facilities that you would like to see set up, please email waste@reading.ac.uk

Don't forget Green Week!

Green Week (12-16 November 2012) is nearly upon us, and to start the week Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell and President of the Students' Union, James Fletcher will be taking part in a ‘Battle of the Bins'! Come to the Palmer building foyer at 1pm on Monday 12 November to cheer them on (along with the RUSU Cheerleaders!) as they battle to separate and recycle the most waste. There will also be refreshments available.

To find out about other Green Week activities, including a cinema in a skip and the next Public Lecture (‘Hot in the city: Urban Heat Islands explained') visit the Clean and Green website.