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Did you know we are now able to recycle more materials than ever? There are small changes being made to the way we recycle on campus, with the potential to make big differences.

To make recycling simpler and more effective, we’re changing the way we recycle across campus.  

To align with UK legislation, we are expanding what can go in our mixed recycling bins and introducing food waste collections in staff kitchens.  

You can now recycle more than ever

The UK aims to recycle 65% of all waste by 2035, and you can help!

It may seem like a small change, but across campus, we generate tonnes of waste every year – much more of which could be recycled. Recycling helps conserve resources by turning used materials into new products. The more we recycle, the less waste goes to landfill or incineration, as well as reducing the need for new raw materials and conserving precious resources.

You can now place the following items in the mixed recycling bins across campus and in our residences:

• Steel and aluminium tins, drinks cans, aerosols
• Aluminium tubes, foil and food trays
• Steel and aluminium jar and bottle lids
• Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, tubes and trays
• Food and drink cartons (eg Tetra Pak and Pringles tubes)
• Paper and cardboard.

These items need to be clean before they can be recycled: unclean materials cannot be recycled. And don't forget to use our reverse vending machines too - you could win a week's free lunches!

If you live on campus, recycling bags are available in your residence for you to take your recyclable items to the designated bins.

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Introducing food waste recycling

From 6 May, food waste caddies will be rolled out across office kitchens. These caddies will be collected regularly, and the contents will be processed into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion.

You can separate out your food waste in Eat Central, as well as other cafes on campus, and we’ll be introducing food waste recycling in all our residences from September.

How to find out more

If you're not sure if it's recyclable, refer to our Recycling A-Z. If you have any questions or need more information, get in touch at bettercampus@sussex.ac.uk.

This work supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 13 (climate action). You can read more about our work on the SDGs here.