A-Z of Waste and Recycling
Not sure where to put your waste or want to know how to recycle certain products? Our guide covers all the ways you can dispose of waste or recycle goods in our halls.
- Blue Recycling Bins are for paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard & drinks cartons
- Brown Recycling Bins are for plastic bottles, glass bottles & jars, cans, tins, aerosols & silver foil
- General Waste Bins are for all other plastics and non-recyclable materials
- Green Bins and Kitchen Caddies are for food waste, including meat and fish bones, raw and cooked food, tea bags and coffee grounds, and egg shells (no liquids!)
A
Aerosols
Aerosols can be put in the brown bins or white bags in your kitchen marked with a brown label. If the aerosol contains hazardous substances, please speak with a member of the facilities team, as it will need to be disposed of as hazardous waste.
B
Batteries
Batteries should not be placed in the general waste bin. The University operates a campus-wide battery recycling scheme for domestic-type batteries. Battery collection containers are located in campus reception areas.
Bicycles
If you have a bike you no longer want, consider selling it through a platform such as Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. If this isn’t an option, please consider donating it. To donate your bike, please contact the facilities team, which will work with one of our charity partners to help recycle/refurbish it and make it available for someone else at a low cost.
Books
Some hall social areas have book swaps and donation shelves, so feel free to leave your latest novels there. You can also sell textbooks to next year’s students through online platforms. Otherwise, please donate your books via the British Heart Foundation banks or the end-of-year recycling scheme.
C
Cans and Food tins
These can be placed in the recycling bins and bags internally and externally across campus. Please remember to rinse items before recycling to prevent odours and pest issues.
Cardboard
We have paper and cardboard recycling within and external to your accommodation on campus. Please flatten any boxes to help maximise space for others, and think about taking any packaging home, particularly at the start and end of term.
Clothes and Shoes
There are many ways to recycle your pre-loved clothes and shoes, including selling them online, trading them with friends, organising a sale and swap event or donating them to your charity shop. You can also donate them through one of our end-of-year recycling schemes.
Cooking Oil
Solidified fat and small quantities of cold cooking oil can be added to your food waste. Please put larger amounts into a sealed container once it has cooled down and put it into the general waste bins.
D
Dead Animals
On rare occasions, you may find dead animals, such as birds and rodents. Please report them via the online maintenance system, and our team or pest control contractor will arrange for safe collection and disposal.
E
Electrical and Electronic Equipment
The University has obligations under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations to segregate electrical waste in order to treat it, This means separating it from general waste and to enable it to be recovered and recycled. Please contact the facilities team if you have items which need recycling.
F
Food Waste
Food Waste recycling is currently unavailable across all our halls, but we are rolling this scheme out and will provide further information as it is introduced. Where the facility for food waste recycling is in place, please use the caddies to dispose of spoilt and leftover food and peelings and then empty the caddy contents into the external bin. We use LDPE clear plastic bags in the caddies, and you can put the bag with the contents directly into our external food waste bin. The bags are separated during the recycling process and sent to refuse-derived fuel plants for disposal/energy recovery. Simple steps you can take to reduce food waste include planning your shopping, considering how you will store products and ensuring you use products within the recommended sell-by or use-by dates.
Furniture
The University operates a furniture store for unwanted furniture. This scheme supports the reuse of furniture for staff and students and donates furniture to several charity partners. If you have items you wish to donate, please liaise with the facilities team in our halls.
G
Glass bottles and jars
All colours of glass bottles/jars can be recycled in the white bag with the brown tag internally or the external brown bins.
Gum drop bins
Chewing gum can be dangerous and toxic to our local wildlife and is also costly to remove. Place your used gum into the general waste receptacles or gum drop bins and help keep the environment tidy.
I
IT Equipment
The University can help dispose of IT-related equipment if it cannot be redeployed elsewhere. Details can be found on the IT services web pages. Inkjet printer cartridges and mobile phones can be recycled at campus reception areas.
N
Newspapers and Magazines
These can be recycled in the external and internal blue bins or white bags with blue labels alongside any other paper products. We do not recommend using these for confidential paperwork.
Nitrous Oxide Canisters
These cannot be disposed of in general waste as they pose a risk of explosion and, therefore, require specialist disposal. Please speak with the facilities team about safe disposal.
P
Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles can be placed in the brown bins externally and in the identified bags and bins within the kitchens, study spaces and lounge areas. Try to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics and help protect our environment.
Plants
If you have unwanted plants at the end of your stay with us, speak with the facilities team, who will help find new homes for them.
S
Scrap metal
We have skips located on-site for recycling scrap metal. Please contact the facilities team if you have items to dispose of.
V
Vapes
Vapes need to be disposed of correctly. We have vape collection bins in our campus receptions. Please do not put them in the general waste.