New University recycling contract

Biffa has been awarded the contract to collect office waste for the University. Staff and students should be aware of a few important changes to our recycling bins as a result.

Rollout started before Christmas, and Biffa is now servicing the entire University estate - collecting from hundreds of bins outside University buildings.

The Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability took a group of students to see the facility where our recycling is processed. They were able to see first-hand what happens to our waste - it's sorted by hand - and what impact liquid contamination had on the process.

Changes to the system

• Coffee cups ALWAYS go in the black Other bin.
• Paper towels ALWAYS go in the black Other bin.
• Paper is now mixed with other Dry Recycling.

Avoiding contamination

Our waste gets sorted by hand, but any left over food waste or liquid left in the Dry Recycling bin can ruin paper and cardboard, preventing entire bags of waste from being recycled.