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Cleaning Services – University of Aberdeen

Cleaning Services is part of the operational activities of Support Services within Estates and is based in the University Office. If you have a problem or something has gone wrong with the service please contact a member of the Domestic Services Team.

Link to Domestic Services Team - Contact Details

Link to FAQs

Current Service -

Service	Service Provided	Responsibilities of Staff and Students
Office cleaning and general refuse collection	Offices will be cleaned once weekly. Central bins will be emptied by cleaners as required.	Rooms should be accessible on that day. Occupants of offices have responsibility for the removal and segregation of waste to a central bin ideally at the end of each working day.
Surface cleaning	Desks, tables, window ledges, etc. will only be cleaned if the surfaces are clear and accessible.	Desks and tables must be free of paperwork and all other items, excluding telephones and IT equipment. No liquids are to be left on surfaces. Nothing should be stored on floors and confidential material must be locked away.
Cardboard and Packaging	Small amounts of cardboard and other types of packaging will be removed from the kitchen collection point.	Cardboard must be flattened prior to being left adjacent to the bin in kitchen area.
Bulk refuse	Subject to prior agreement this waste will be removed by porters.	Removal of large volumes of refuse must be arranged through the Sacrist at Old Aberdeen or the Sacrist at Foresterhill.
Spillages	Normally dealt with by cleaners but porters have access to a response trolley if necessary.	Contact Estates Help Desk on ext. 3333.
Window Cleaning	Annual clean of office windows inside and out. Main building entrances, conference accommodation and some ground floor windows are cleaned quarterly. Additional cleans e.g. for high profile visits or if the windows are exceptionally dirty can be requested for consideration within budget constraints.	Prior notice will be given to allow staff to clear window sills and arrange access or opt out. Request via the Domestic Services Manager.
Carpet cleaning	Subject to inspection and budget constraints.	Request via the Domestic Services Manager.
Lecture Theatres and Classrooms	All lecture theatres and classrooms will be cleaned three times per week and service checked, twice per week, prior to the first lesson and at weekends by arrangement. Removal of used coffee cups, food wrappers, etc. is not a cleaning task.	Users must adhere to the booking times. Food and drink (except bottled water) must not be consumed in teaching rooms and lecturers must ensure students adhere to this policy. Rooms must be left in a clean and tidy condition and in the same ‘set up’ format.
White and Chalk Boards	Chalk boards will be given an initial dry wipe clean each morning (unless specifically requested not to). Thereafter it becomes the user’s responsibility. Clean dusters will be supplied each morning. Whiteboards are not cleaned.	Whiteboard cleaning is the responsibility of the user.
Computing Facilities	Will be cleaned three times during the week and service checked on the other four days, including the weekend.	Students must not eat or drink (except bottled water) in the computing facilities and must leave the areas in a clean and tidy condition. No rubbish should be left behind.
Conference and Meeting Rooms	A service is provided each weekday morning and on weekends in line with bookings. More frequent cleaning requirements during a conference must be prearranged. Cleaning of any accommodation that is required again in the evening by an external client will also have to be prearranged.	Meeting and Conference rooms must be booked through the appropriate service provider. All paperwork and equipment brought to the room by the user must be removed at the end of the booking. Accommodation must be left in a clean and tidy condition. Catering paraphernalia must be removed.
Library (reading and circulation areas)	Will be cleaned twice weekly.	Students must not eat or drink (except bottled water) in library accommodation and must leave the areas in a clean and tidy condition. No rubbish should be left behind. Common areas will not be used for hospitality or promotional events without prior permission.
Laboratories	Will be cleaned three times per week excluding lab sinks and benches. Cleaning staff must report any spillages they find or accidentally cause. They are not permitted to clean them up.	Laboratory staff must leave the lab in a safe condition and ensure that no ‘sharps’ are discarded in the general waste bins. Deal with chemical spills.
Washroom Facilities	A full service is provided on weekdays throughout Academic Departments and a seven day service is provided in the main library, computing facilities and conference venues along with additional clean checks and servicing at midday and early evening in the heavy usage areas campus wide.	Users should leave the facilities as they would wish to find them. Report any empty dispensers to the Estates Help Desk on ext. 3333 in order that remedial action can be taken.
Kitchens	Weekday cleaning of the fabric only. Cleaners are not responsible for washing crockery, cutlery or cleaning inside microwaves, fridges or similar equipment.	After use the area should be left in a clean and tidy state and there should be no dirty dishes left in the sink or on worktops.
Sports Facilities	A daily clean will be carried out in King’s Pavilion and as required at Balgownie and Hillhead Sports Pavilions.	Sports Attendants will carry out any service requirements after the initial general clean.
Special cleans	Any requests for special cleaning should be passed to the Domestic Services Manager.	This will be charged to the requesting section at cost.

Disruption to level of service may be caused by factors outwith our control, e.g. lack of access to area, inclement weather or unplanned staff absences and in this event temporary adjustments will be made to provide the best service under the given circumstances.

Our Services Do Not Include:

Removing any waste from individual offices
Removing any waste/debris left behind in lecture theatres, library reading areas etc
Collecting and removing any catering paraphernalia
Cleaning computers, keyboards, printers etc
Washing crockery, cutlery or cleaning inside microwaves, fridges or similar equipment
Cleaning laboratory sinks and benches
Removing any specialised waste from laboratories
Cleaning, collecting and removing any waste or catering paraphernalia from vending/café areas.

Cleaning Services Contact Details

Irene Arbuckle – Domestic Services Manager – Telephone: 01224 (27)2057 Email: i.arbuckle@abdn.ac.uk

Name	Post Title	Telephone	Area of Responsibility
Jackie Wyness (j.wyness@abdn.ac.uk)	Senior Cleaning Supervisor	07795645668	Polwarth Building
Jane Black (j.black@abdn.ac.uk)	Cleaning Supervisor	07795800010	King's College
Roslyn Hall (r.hall@abdn.ac.uk)	Cleaning Supervisor	07792352117	University Office, William Guild and MacRobert Buildings
Pat Hughes (p.hughes@abdn.ac.uk)	Cleaning Supervisor	07774017863	Zoology, Cruickshank and 23 St. Machar Drive Buildings
To be confirmed			QML, Meston and Fraser Noble Buildings
Karen Thomson (k.a.thomson@abdn.ac.uk)	Cleaning Supervisor	07771841823	IMS, HSB and Medical Physics Buildings

FAQs relating to refuse bin removal

Why is the cleaning service being reduced?

The current provision of cleaning services is no longer sustainable in light of the Comprehensive Spending Review and anticipated future funding. The opportunity has been taken as a consequence of these funding reductions and the Voluntary Severance Scheme to radically restructure the cleaning service and improve our environmental performance on waste disposal and reduction.

What will be the main impact on me?

Offices will only be cleaned once a week with a reduction in service to some other areas across campus. Bins will be removed from offices and there will be communal waste bins placed in accessible areas for you to dispose of your waste.

Why are the individual bins being removed?

This is being done to save money and to encourage you as an individual to take responsibility for the waste you produce.

How will I get rid of my waste?

Instead of individual waste bins there will be communal waste bins placed in areas accessible by all, e.g. kitchen areas/meeting rooms/social rooms. In some larger open plan offices where there are multiple members of staff a communal bin will be placed within that room. Paper waste both confidential and non-confidential should continue to be placed in the Shred-it consoles located within your School/Section.

Rinsed food and drinks cans and plastic bottles should be placed within the can and plastic bottles recycling bins located at your nearest recycling point. For information on your nearest recycling point check out the waste webpages at www.abdn.ac.uk/able

Cardboard waste should be flattened and small quantities placed within kitchen areas. Large quantities should remain in situ and the Sacrist notified for a collection to be arranged.

Other plastic waste, polystyrene and other types of packaging waste will go out as part of normal black bag waste. Large quantities should remain in situ and the Sacrist notified for a collection to be arranged. If you have any waste you are unsure of please seek advice from the Waste and Environmental Manager.

Will bins be removed from lecture theatres?

No food or drink should be consumed in lecture theatres (except bottled water), and as such demand for bins in these areas is minimal. No lecture theatres should have bins and those that do will see them removed. It is up to lecturers to remind students who are leaving to take with them all their belongings including waste.

Isn’t this a health and safety issue, especially if I have a lot of waste tissues?

The Health and Safety section envisage no problems in relation to this matter. They do, however, advise that waste should not be left to accumulate by the individual, with the responsibility placed on them to dispose of it.

Won’t I be perpetually walking to the bin?

We do not foresee that you should have to make extra trips to dispose of your waste. When leaving your office for lunch, to go to the toilet, to do your recycling, to go to a meeting, leaving for the day – drop your waste off en route.

Doesn’t all this rubbish on desks look unsightly when we have visitors to the University?

If you are aware that visitors will be entering your office ensure you remove any waste prior to their arrival.

Can’t I just bring my own bin in?

No. It will not be emptied by the cleaners and defeats the purpose of this exercise.

What’s in it for me?

This will raise awareness about how much waste you produce as an individual and how responsibly you dispose of it.

You are helping the University produce less packaging waste. Each individual desk bin has a liner that is replaced every other day. By removing these individual bins and replacing them with one larger bin that contains one liner we are reducing plastic being sent to landfill. Plastic does not biodegrade and will remain in the landfill for between 500-1000 years. The total waste disposal costs for the University are nearly £300K a year, money that could be spent more wisely if we weren’t so wasteful.

Cleaners will be required to spend less of their time emptying waste bins, as the number of locations they collect from will be reduced and therefore they will be able to concentrate on other areas.

What happens to the waste that is collected?

For further information on what happens to waste produced by the University, click here.