Waste and Recycling

In this section you can find out more about what to do with the waste you have; what and where you can recycle on and around campus, how much waste the University produces, as well as ways you can minimise waste at work. There is also information on our legal requirements to conform to the Duty of Care and the ways in which we do this. The links page takes you to external organisations that can advise on many different waste matters relating to work and home.

How to Manage Your Waste Effectively

The best sustainable approach to managing waste is not to produce it in the first place. More often than not we print items unnecessarily, we order too much, we don’t check for errors before printing, and so on. All these actions unfortunately produce waste, which the University pays for in terms of supplying the paper for example, but also pays for the disposal.

By asking yourself some simple questions you can cut down!

• Do I really need to print this?
• Can I send it electronically?
• Does it have to be single sided, or could it be double sided?
• Do I need to staple it; will a paperclip, that can be reused, do?
• Do I have to buy? Does another department have the item that I need which I could borrow? Could it be leased?

Whether you are a student or a member of staff you produce waste. Some of the responsibility falls on you to be accountable for what you do with that waste.

Ask yourself:

• Is it actually waste?
• Can someone else use it?
• If it’s broken, can it be repaired?

The University has a legal obligation to deal with its waste correctly - a process called the Duty of Care. This falls on all of us to ensure safe practices are followed. If you don’t know what to do with a waste item, ask!

Staff and students should contact the Waste Manager if they are in any doubt about safe and correct disposal of specific waste streams.

Bin Locations

• Old Aberdeen site
• Foresterhill site

Key

Recycle Information
Recycled predominantly within Scotland / UK
No recycling outlet locally available
No recycling outlet

'Which Bin?' Guide - What Shall I do With my Waste and Where does it Go?

The table below illustrates the types of waste produced by the University and the journey it takes once it has left campus. This does not include waste produced from domestic premises. For further information on waste journeys for domestic waste refer to Waste Aware Grampian.

WHAT waste?	WHAT type?	WHAT do I do with it?		WHICH bin?	WHEN is it taken?	WHERE does it go?
Aluminium cans	General	Rinse and place in bin		Can collection bin located at eat at Johnston	On demand	Aye-can, local social work initiative who can get money from the metal, through a company called Panda Rosa. Will be melted down to make new products.
Batteries	Special	Store securely and tape ends up of dry cells		Place in store until large enough quantity to collect on twice yearly chemical uplift	On demand	Batteries contain heavy metals that can be extracted for reuse, however there are no reprocessing facilities offering this within Scotland. Therefore contractors such as Onyx and Taylors Industrial Services take batteries as part of our special waste collection.
Brochures	General	Remove any plastic packaging or paperclips		Place in paper recycling bin which contains a white bag	Depending on location	The white bags are collected and taken offsite by John W Hannay. It is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for tissue products or printing papers.
Cardboard	General	Flatten and tear to place in container		Various green stores across campus	Depending on location	Cardboard is collected by a contractor called John W Hannay, and is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for packaging or use within the construction industry.
Clinical waste	Clinical	Place in appropriate coloured bag and store securely for collection	X	Cin bins / yellow bags and orange bags	Depending on location	Healthcare Environmental currently collect clinical waste from a number of premises. Once bagged, they take the clinical waste to their treatment plant in Shotts, North Lanarkshire, where it is autoclaved and shredded before being sent to Leavenseat landfill in Forth.
Confidential waste	General	For small quantities, shred and place in white recycling bin. For large quantities place in pink bags		Pink bags	On demand	The pink bags are collected and taken offsite by John W Hannay. It is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for tissue products or printing papers.
Envelopes	General	Reuse as internal envelopes or use again if they are jiffy bags. Remove any plastic windows and selotape if they are to be recycled		Place in paper recycling bin which contains a white bag	Depending on location	The white bags are collected and taken offsite by John W Hannay. It is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for tissue products or printing papers.
Fluorescent tubes	Special	When an engineer is called to change a tube – they take the spent tube away with them		Placed in a container at Bedford Road	On demand	A company called Lampcare Recycling collect the fluorescent tubes, they segregate the glass, metal and phosphorous using end-cut technology. These items are reused.
Fridges and freezers	Special	Empty of contents and unplug		Leave in situ	On demand	A waste contractor who is authorised to carry special waste collects this and transports it to a processing plant, where any CFCs are removed and metal is stripped out. These treatment facilities are located within and out with the United Kingdom.
Glass	General	Rinse and remove any tops. Do not include any pyrex or plate glass – this melts at a different temperature.		Place any glass bottles and jars in recycling collection bin if provided	Depending on location	Glass is collected by Aberdeen City Council and reprocessed at United Glass based in Alloa. It is melted down and moulded into new bottles and jars.
Magazines	General	Remove any plastic packaging or paperclips		Place in paper recycling bin which contains a white bag	Depending on location	The white bags are collected and taken offsite by John W Hannay. It is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for tissue products or printing papers.
Newspapers	General	Fold Broadsheets so that they can fit into the container		Place in paper recycling bin which contains a white bag	Depending on location	The white bags are collected and taken offsite by John W Hannay. It is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for tissue products or printing papers.
Paper	General	Place as flat as possible in container, do not scrunch up as this uses more space		Place in paper recycling bin which contains a white bag	Depending on location	The white bags are collected and taken offsite by John W Hannay. It is then taken to a processing plant where it is pulped for tissue products or printing papers.
Plastic	General	Place in general refuse bin		Refuse bin	Frequently	Plastic is collected as part of our general refuse collection either by Aberdeen City Council or John W Hannay. This is taken to be landfilled.
Printer consumables	General / Special	Remove any packaging		Place in charitable donation / general waste bin or arrange special uplift	On demand	Some charities collect the cartridges for cash back, whilst some are refilled. If the cartridge contains hazardous substances then the item should be treated as a special waste. These items may come under the remit of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.
Radioactive waste	Special	Contact the University Radiation Protection Adviser	X	Requires specialised storage	On demand	Advice on the disposal of radioactive waste should be sought from the Radiation Protection Adviser. Specialist waste contractors are required to remove this material for onward treatment within and out with the United Kingdom.
Scrap metal	General	Remove any non-metal components		Normarily collected by grounds and placed in a skip at Bedford Road	On demand	A waste contractor called Panda Rosa empties the skip. The metal will be melted down in various smelters across the United Kingdom, where it will be reused and turned into new products.
Steel cans	General	Rinse and place in bin		Can collection bin located at eat at Johnston	On demand	Aye-can, local social work initiative who can get money from the metal, through a company called Panda Rosa. Will be melted down to make new products.
WEEE	Special	Should be cleaned out		Place in designated container	On demand	A waste contractor who is authorised to carry special waste collects this and transports it to a processing plant, where any harmful substances are removed and metal is stripped out. These treatment facilities are located within and out with the United Kingdom.
Wood waste	General / Special	Check wood to see if it is pre-treated or is MDF based	X	Place in general refuse if not pre-treated or MDF. If treated with certain substances or is MDF will require disposal as a special waste	On demand	General waste skips are located throughout campus. Sub-contractors undertake the majority of construction and demolition work on the University campus. These contractors must ensure waste is properly segregated and that they have produced a site waste management plan. It may be necessary to inspect such activities to ensure compliance.

Should you have difficulty identifying your waste or aren't sure how to dispose of it, please contact the Waste Manager for further guidance.