Waste and recycling

What is waste?

The legal definition of waste is:

"Any substance or object the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard."

The University has a responsibility to appropriately remove waste items, and uses a contractor to do this. Managing waste correctly is vital to ensure that the environment is not harmed in its disposal, but also to make the most of resources that can be used again when possible, through recycling.

All waste removed from our campuses is recorded and this data means we can monitor both how much waste is being produced, and how much of it is recycled. There are many types of waste that are produced on campus, but for this module we are focusing on the everyday types that students and staff typically produce. 

Anything you use requires resources to make it, in some way or another, and energy is required to produce, transport, and dispose of it at the end of its usable life. All this has an environmental impact, from the extraction of materials to the emissions in energy use. Even recycling has an impact because of the energy and resources needed to make it happen.

Watch this video (4:07) for a simple explanation of the plastic pollution problem.

The word ‘waste’ has a huge amount of meaning attached to it. As soon as you discard something, to you it’s waste. But is it really? Can that material be used again? Or perhaps it’s an object that can be used by someone else? The University's small-ads list is a great example of reuse – allowing students and staff to find a new home for things they no longer need, but shouldn’t be thrown away. There are lots of ways you can give away or sell items you don't need, including eBay, Vinted, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle.

Another alternative is to donate items to charity shops; there are British Heart Foundation collection banks on our Colchester campus all year round; of course you can take items to any charity shop on your local high street.

Waste isn't always waste

Waste hierarchy

The University already provides facilities to separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste, to make it easier for those on our campuses to put things in the right places. Annually, on average we recycle up to 44% of our waste – but we know we can do more. We’ll be developing new waste streams to make sure that recyclable materials are captured separately, and of course where possible we’re going to work to reduce waste overall. Less waste from the outset is the best approach!