Reduce, reuse, recycle
If we want to begin to create a circular economy on campus, we need to do more to reduce, repair, reuse and recycle the waste that we produce, keeping materials in use for longer.
You can make sure you’re making the most environmentally waste choices by following the advice below.
- Reduce
Reduce your plastic bottle consumption by refilling your bottle at our water stations across campus.
2.5 billion cups are thrown away each year in the UK. You can help reduce this number by joining our returnable cup scheme, or bringing your own mug to campus.
Food waste
You can now recycle food waste in our office kitchens on campus. Food waste accounts for around a third of the waste we produce, so this will save tonnes of waste.
- Reuse and repair
By reusing items, you can stop good quality items going to waste and save energy and raw materials by keeping materials in use for longer.
If you're packing up and realise you’ve got clothes, kitchenware, or other items you no longer want or need - don’t throw them away. Drop them off at one of our on-campus donation points and they'll go to the USSU Swap n Shop or the British Heart Foundation’s charity shops – this article will tell you more.
- Recycle
If you aren’t able to avoid producing waste and aren’t able to reuse it or repair, recycling is a good way to ensure that the materials in the item can be used again to make something new.
What and where to recycle
Have you heard that if you’re not sure if you can recycle something, then you should put it in the recycling as it can be separated out later? This is called wish recycling and it’s actually a myth. Putting non-recyclable waste into recycling bins can contaminate the recyclables in the bin, meaning that the recyclable waste has to go to landfill.
Make sure you’re recycling the right things by checking out our Campus recycling A-Z.
University of Sussex Waste Policy and Strategy
Our Waste Action Plan
| Action | Co-owner | Target delivery date |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Set target to recycle 50% of our waste by 2025 (subject to further compositional analysis) |
Vice-Chancellor |
June 2021 to set targets and August 2025 to achieve them |
| 2. Set target to reduce the volume of weight produced per student by 10% by 2025 | ||
| 3. Set annual recycling targets for all of our waste streams | Scott Noble (Head of Service Delivery Estates and Facilities Management) |
August 2022 |
| 4. Tender our waste contracts, ensuring appropriate recycling targets and innovation are included within them |
December 2022 |
|
| 5. Review of our current bin numbers, locations and signage |
December 2021 |
|
| 6. Launch a waste and recycling communications and engagement plan by August 2022 that will enable us to recruit a network of waste champions to help support and promote recycling and create behaviour change |
August 2022 |
|
| 7. Produce policies on plastic and project waste reduction |
December 2022 |