Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Waste Management
Plan
Date:
Version number:
Dept.
Approval route:
Approval status:
November 2013
3.0
Procurement and
Sustainability
Carbon Advisory Board
Approved by PU Governors
and the Carbon Advisory
Group
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Executive Summary
A report into the waste strategies and policies currently in place at Plymouth
University (PU), identifying how efficiency improvements can be made via changes
in strategy and providing recommendations for investment with related costs and pay
back periods.
Drivers for improvement include financial benefits through reducing the amount
spent on collection and disposal (including associated taxes), environmental
benefits, enhanced corporate image as well as linking into PU’s sustainability
agenda.
Further drivers for improvement include reducing the risk of legislative noncompliance regarding ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System), aiding PU
carbon reduction commitment and helping external league tables such as the People
and Planet Green League Tables.
PU produce in excess of 500 tonnes of waste a year (2011/12) with 48% of this
being recycled (241 tonnes).
 503 Tonnes of waste a year
 48% of which is recycled
 26 kg of waste per student per year

Recommendations for improvement have been made and highlighted, with other
leading university’s achieving recycling efficiencies of 70% it is recommended PU
adopt a similar target of 70% of total waste recycled. In addition a target of 20kg of
waste per student per year should be implemented which will monitor total waste.
This will be achieved by;
Aim
Action
Cost
Improving awareness and
knowledge
Consistent bin signage
Matrix & e-Learning package
Within existing budget
Change signs to all exterior
and interior bins
Designated area for users to
recycle all streams
£9,250
Recycling ‘hub’ on campus
Implementing new strategy
Record data and costs more
effectively
Communicate to all campus
users, especially those
responsible for certain
streams
Communication of waste
management plan to related
persons
Minimal monetary value.
Small amount of space
required
Within existing budget
Within existing budget
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
This report analyses’ data collected over the last four years, highlights all of the
University’s waste streams and how they are managed, identifies inefficiencies and
areas of improvement, and makes recommendations on further reductions including
a proposal for investment. KPI’s have also been identified and included within the
management plan.
There will be a waste services tender following this waste management plan.
Whilst the amount of waste produced by the university has reduced by 4.61% when
compared to the previous year the amount of waste recycled has fallen from 53% to
48%. The university is at risk of falling behind other universities in this area.
To correct this decline it is proposed to conduct an awareness campaign to improve
the current recycling rates, in addition it is requested that the following
recommendations are approved and funded were required.
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 2
1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 6
1.1 Scope and Boundaries ..................................................................................... 6
1.2 History .............................................................................................................. 7
2.0 Waste Streams ..................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Waste Matrix ................................................................................................. 9
3.0 Strategy .............................................................................................................. 14
4.0 Waste Figures (Tonnes) ..................................................................................... 17
5.0 Targets (Tonnes) ................................................................................................ 19
6.0 Waste Plan - Financing ...................................................................................... 19
6.1 Assumptions ................................................................................................... 22
6.2 Unquantifiable Benefits/Savings ..................................................................... 22
6.3 Additional Resources ...................................................................................... 22
6.4 Financial Costs and Sources of Funding ........................................................ 22
7.0 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 22
7.1 Immediate Action Required ............................................................................ 23
7.2 Short Term ...................................................................................................... 23
7.3
Medium-Long Term ..................................................................................... 24
8.0 Legislation and Regulations ............................................................................... 25
9.0 Current Waste Streams ...................................................................................... 27
.............................................................................................................................. 27
9.1 Non-Hazardous Waste ................................................................................... 27
9.1.1 General Waste ......................................................................................... 27
9.1.2 Recyclable Waste .................................................................................... 27
9.2 Hazardous Waste ........................................................................................... 29
9.2.1 Recyclable Hazardous Waste .................................................................. 29
9.2.2 Non-Recyclable Hazardous Waste .......................................................... 31
9.3 Department/Faculty Streams .............................................................................. 31
9.3.1 Science waste.............................................................................................. 31
9.3.2 Non-Hazardous ........................................................................................ 31
9.3.3 Hazardous Waste ..................................................................................... 32
9.4 Arts Waste ...................................................................................................... 34
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
9.5 Catering Waste ............................................................................................... 35
9.6 University of Plymouth Students Union (SU) .................................................. 35
9.7 Halls of Residence - University Partnerships Programme (UPP).................... 35
9.8 Other Waste Streams ..................................................................................... 36
9.8.1 Nursery..................................................................................................... 36
9.8.2 Planscape ................................................................................................ 36
9.8.3 Contractors............................................................................................... 36
9.8.4 Estates ..................................................................................................... 36
9.9 Improvements to Waste Streams without a Procedure in Place ..................... 36
10.0 Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................ 38
11.0 Current Bin Signage ..................................................................................... 39
11.1 Suggested Bin Signage ................................................................................ 41
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Waste is ‘any substance or object the holder discards, intends to
discard or is required to discard’. Waste management is the collection,
processing and monitoring of waste products. (WRAP, 2011)
1.0 Introduction
Waste and Waste Management have become ever more important in recent years
with emphasis coming from central government on the importance of increasing
recycling rates and decreasing the amount sent to landfill. PU has made
considerable improvements with regards to waste and also reductions in carbon
dioxide (CO²) emissions but reductions in waste have begun to plateau.
Biodegradable waste going to landfill have associated CO² emissions attached to
them as biodegradable waste emits methane and CO² during its degrading process
both of which contribute to the greenhouse gas effect.
Landfill tax
Year
Further to this, with ever limited landfill space and
per tonne
increasing landfill tax (see right) plus the rising costs of
disposal, waste management is at the forefront of UK
2011
£56
agendas. Organisations seek to develop new and
2012
£64
innovative ways of reducing, re-using and recycling waste
according to the waste hierarchy.
2013
£72
Landfill tax is set to rise by 25% by 2014
2014
£80
1.1 Scope and Boundaries
Throughout this report waste is classified
and recorded from academic years (AugJul).
For what areas of PU are included within the
report please see table adjacent.
When percentage recycled is discussed this
represents how much as a percentage of the
total waste is recycled and not sent to
landfill.
Included
Not included
Main Campus
Vesey
Royal William Yard
John Bull
DMC
PAHC Building
Cookworthy Building
PU areas of Robbins
and Pilgrims
Skardon Place
The Waste Transfer Centre (WTC) is situated in Babbage Building Car Park,
operated by Estates and Facility Management (E&FM).
Figures for weights of waste are represented in tonnes.
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
1.2 History
PU is one of the UK's most prominent and dynamic universities with an educational
history dating back to 1862. Consistently ranked as one of the top three modern
universities, Plymouth has over 30,000 students, almost 3,000 staff and an annual
income of around £200 million. In addition to this PU is ever improving, this can be
recognised in the ‘The Times – University Guide 2013: University league Tables’
where PU has improved again during the last academic year. The university has a
major role in developing the local economy and its activities make a major
contribution to the South West Region.
PU accepts it has a responsibility to deal with waste in a responsible manner
adhering to current legislation.
Below the table and graph represent the waste figures and percentage of recycled
since 2007/2008.
Academic Year
(Aug - July)
600.00
Quantity of Waste -- Tonnes
500.00
2007/08
50.85%
2008/09
459.87
2009/10
371.53
2010/11
527.72
2011/12
503.38
20.24%
-19.21%
42.04%
-4.61%
2008/09
52.70%
2009/10
53.15%
2010/11
57.23%
2011/12
47.83%
3.64%
0.85%
7.67%
-16.42%
58.00%
RECYCLED
LANDFILL
Percentage Recycled
56.00%
54.00%
400.00
52.00%
300.00
50.00%
48.00%
200.00
46.00%
100.00
44.00%
0.00
42.00%
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
Year
2010/11
Percentage of Waste Recycled of the Total wste
produced
Academic Year
(Aug - July)
2007/08
382.45
2011/12
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Historically there has been some inconsistency with waste figures and spikes have
been caused due to gaps in the collection of data. During the academic year of
2010-11 systems had been put in place and staff responsible have improved the way
PU record its waste data, which is the foundation for improvement as ‘you cannot
manage what you cannot measure’ (Lord Kelvin).
The new strategy assumes waste is to be recorded at one centralised point. With
this improvement it is expected that waste data will be more consistent than in
previous years making the task of improvement easier to monitor and achieve.
The table below show a comparison of percentage waste recycled against other top
performing universities in this sector. This information is from the People and Planet
Green League 2012, since 2008 PU has decreased its recycling percentage by 5%
whilst others have improved by 40%-70%. This evidence suggests that
improvements to the current strategy are required for PU to continue being a top
performing ‘green’ university as well as a top performer in the waste sector.
Position in
waste
sector,
2012
1
2
3
4
5
6
University
(Overall P&P
Position, 2011)
Kings College,
London (45)
Nottingham Trent
(5)
Huddersfield (21)
Aston (11)
Bath Spa (8)
Plymouth (2)
2012 % Waste
Recycled
95.77
88.97
87.12
82.44
65.77
48
2008 %
Waste
Recycled
Improvement
since 2008 as a
%
N/A
34
44
18
12
53
N/A
+54.97%
+43.12%
+64.44%
+53.77%
-5%
2.0 Waste Streams
All waste is the responsibility of the producer
Waste is classified into two main categories, hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
Most non-hazardous waste is managed by the Head of Security/Campus Services of
E&FM whilst hazardous waste is managed by the Health and Safety Officer. Both
hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams have some materials that can and
cannot be recycled and it should be the aim of PU to recycle as much as possible.
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
All waste streams should follow the WRAP
waste hierarchy. Previously the waste
hierarchy was simply the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle but wrap guidelines have
expanded this somewhat.
Prevention – This can come in many different
forms from increasing the life span of products
or avoidance i.e. buying fewer items, selling
and buying used items that are no longer
required but still usable.
Preparing for re-use – Through checking,
cleaning or repairing items or subcomponents
of items so that they can be re-used without
any further processing. E.g. wood waste could be offered to faculty of arts for
students to use in their projects
Recycling – Reprocessing of items, products, materials or substances.
Other recovery – Energy recovery techniques such as combustion, anaerobic
digestion, gasification or pyrolysis. E.g. PU is looking into the feasibility of sending
biodegradable waste to a local anaerobic digestion plant.
Disposal – Waste that cannot be re-used or recycled should be disposed of in the
correct manor. If this disposal is contracted then the company used should have the
correct legal requirements and paperwork. Weights of all waste collected should also
be kept and recorded and is a legislative requirement.
For simplicity the following hierarchy should be used.
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
For the use of staff and student awareness and to motivate
campus users to follow the waste hierarchy it is
recommended that the more simplistic 3 R hierarchy is used.
2.1 Waste Matrix
All streams are highlighted in the waste streams matrix, it also highlights key
information such as management responsibility, collection details and contractors.
Further details of PU waste streams and current procedure are detailed in the
Appendix under section 9.0.
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Non-Hazardous
Materials/
Stream
Sub Category
Source
Mid-Term
Storage
End use
Contractor
Collection
details
University
Responsibility
Data
Responsibility
Comments
Ad-Hoc
(Estimate once
a week)
Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Tony Patten
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Target to reduce
this to 30% of
total waste
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Waste Bins
Compactor
(WTC)
Landfill
Non-Confidential
Desk top
recyclers/
recycling bins/
Document
Production
Centre
Paper
container
(WTC)
Recycling Plant Recycled paper
and card
Viridor
Once a week
Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Tony Patten
Confidential
CSO's collect on
request from user
Locked
confidential
paper container
(WTC)
Shredding and
Recycling Plant Recycled paper
and card
Viridor
Ad-Hoc (Once
a week)
Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Tony Patten
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Recycling bins
Container
(WTC)
Recycling Plant Recycled into
plastic products
Viridor
Typically once
a week
Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Tony Patten
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
SU/ Catering/
Individuals
Bottle bank
outside
Smeaton
Recycling Plant Recycled glass
products,
kitchenware,
tiling and
aggregates
Viridor
As requested
Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Tony Patten
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Within the
library
Re-used
BetterWorld
Books
Ad-Hoc (2/3
times a year)
Learning Environment
& Information Services
Manager Julie PagetWoods
Learning
Environment &
Information Services
Manager
Paper
container
(WTC)
Recycling Plant Recycled paper
and card
CSO's or DS
Smith Recycling
As and when
needed CSO
collect books
from library
Central Support
Librarian untill
collected by CSO's
and then Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
(WTC)
Recycling Plant Wood chip for
biofuel, panel
board industry,
farm and
equestrian animal
bedding and
garden mulch
Wood Yew Waste
Ad Hoc
Senior Campus
Services Assistant
Colin Gibbs
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
General Waste
Viridor
Paper & Card
Plastics/ Tin
Glass
Good condition
Library/
Academia/
Individual
Books/
Journals
Poor Condition
Wood
Brunel/ RLB/
User
PU generate
income from this
waste stream.
Cardboard boxes
should be flat
packed
Must be placed
into a BLUE bag.
Contact Campus
Services
Supervisor for
internal
collection.
Campus users
must not leave
bags for
collection in
unsecure areas
SU arrange
collection of
glass.
CSO's deliver to
Wood Yew Waste
(Smithaleigh,
Plymouth)
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Metal
Estates/
Individuals/
Academia
(WTC)
Sorted and used
to make other
products
Sims Metal
Management
Ad-Hoc
Senior Campus
Services Assistant
Colin Gibbs
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Plastic bags
Individual
Library have 6
containers
Re-used by
students
None
Re-used
Learning Environment
& Information Services
Manager Julie PagetWoods
No data to be
recorded
Re-used in library
for students to
carry items home
Before any new
furniture is
purchased an email to Campus
Services
Supervisor must
happen to ask if
any furniture can
be re-used.
Furniture
Room/dept.
changes
individual
upgrades etc.
Issac foot
basement
Preferably reused if not parts
recycled and
parts sent to
landfill
H&W Knights and
Sons
Ad-Hoc
Senior Campus
Services Assistant
Colin Gibbs
No data to be
recorded
Nappies
Nursery
Yellow 770lit
Eurobin
adjacent to
nursery
Incinerated
Viridor
Once a week
Child Care Manager
Barbara Macpherson
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Non-Hazardous streams with no procedure as yet
Textiles
Individuals, small
amount of
uniforms, arts
Textile
container TBA
Re-used Generally sent to
3rd world
countries
TBA
TBA
E&FM
TBA
It is suggested a
textiles recycling
container is
arranged through
Wilcox
Head of
Security/Campus
Services
Tony Patten
No data to be
recorded
This will occur 3/4
times a year
Garden (green)
Skardon Place
Composter at
allotment site
TBA
Compost to be
used on PU
allotment
None
When CSO's
collect from
squadron place
they take to
allotment
instead of
compactor.
Planscape
On campus
greenery
Container near
WTC
Composted by
Planscape
Planscape
Ad-Hoc
Planscape
Paul
Hoppins
No data to be
recorded
Food Waste
Catering/ User
TBA
TBA
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Ad Hoc
Senior Campus
Services Assistant
Colin Gibbs
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Ad Hoc. Once
10 phones
have been
collected
Telephone Systems
Supervisor
John
Stiles
Telephone Systems
Supervisor
Planscape deal
with any waste
they produce
Feasibility into
what can be done
Hazardous Streams
WEEE
(General)
Paid for collection
Free collection
Mobile phones (WEEE)
Estates/
Individual/
Academia
Container
(WTC)
Individual, Staff
phones
301 Babbage.
Next to kitchen.
N.B. These can
be sent
internally
Stripped down to
components and
salvaged. What is
not salvaged is
recycled
Repair or reuse
all handsets or
harvest and
retain parts from
faulty equipment
for use in
repairing other
phones. All items
Absolute
Recycling Centre
(ARC)
Pluss
EMC
Make sure
Electrical
equipment is not
leased before
disposal
ILS Telephony
will always try to
re-use, sell or redistribute before
re-cycling. PU
receive generate
a small amount of
income from this
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Estates Yard Endsleigh
Place
Batteries (WEEE)
Individuals
Davy 204
Toner (WEEE)
Library/ DPC/
Offices and
communal
printing areas
Container
(WTC)
Florescent Tubes & Gas discharge
lamps
Estates and
Facility
Management
Estates Yard Endsleigh
Place
Ink Cartridges
Individuals and
some area of
campus
Media
Workshop in
Library
Saw Dust
Dust extraction
system from
Brunel W3
Skip behind
Scott building
Plaster
Scott 03
Skip behind
Scott building
which cannot be
re-used, are
separated and
recycled EMC
recycling rate
93%
Batteries are
made from
resources and
chemicals such
as Lead,
Cadmium, Zinc,
Lithium and
Mercury.
Recycled
batteries are
taken apart and
materials
salvaged
Re-used,
repaired and reused or final
option of
recovering
materials to be
used in the
manufacture of
washing machine
parts, traffic
cones, building
materials, fire
alarm casing or
games consoles.
Segregated and
recycled back
into products.
The mercury gets
recycled back
into new lamps
Re-used or
stripped and
recycled
Recycling Plant Wood chip for
biofuels, animal
bedding
Turned back into
Gypsum Powder
to be re-used
service
Electrical waste
recycling group
ERP Battery
Recycling
Canon & eReco
Ad Hoc.
Generally once
a year
Maintenance
Chargehand Graham
Andrew
Maintenance
Chargehand
Will take car
batteries and lead
acid batteries
Ad Hoc
Aquatic Ecology
Technician
Alex
Fraser
Aquatic Ecology
Technician
All but car battery
recycling, FOC
service available
for all campus
users
DPC Manager
All makes of
toner, toner bottle
and other parts
including imaging
units, drums etc.
NO ink cartridges
however.
Ad-Hoc
DPC Manager Jo
Thompson
Electrical waste
recycling group
Once a year
Maintenance
Chargehand Graham
Andrew
Maintenance
Chargehand
N.B. The mercury
from 1 single
fluorescent tube
is enough to
pollute 30,000
litres of water
beyond the UK
safe drinking
level.
Green Agenda
2 or 3 times a
year
Media Workshop
Manager
Media Workshop
Manager
Cartridges Only
Viridor
Ad hoc Approx. 3
times a year
Viridor
Ad Hoc Approx. 3
times a year
Arts Technical
Manager - Workshop
& Materials Richard
Bryce & Steve Carroll
Arts Technical
Manager - Workshop
& Materials Richard
Bryce & Steve Carroll
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
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Plymouth University
Vegetable oil
Waste Management Plan
Catering
Chemicals
Science
Waste
None
Academia
OilMasters
Collect waste
oil when
deliver new
stock
Catering Manager Jim
Crouch
Catering Manager
Tendering
process
Estimated 3
monthly
Safety Officer David
Morton
Safety Officer
Depending on items used and being used for have specific waste
management procedures. Technical managers or Science Faculty Technical
and Physical Resources Manager can advise
Solids, liquids
and sharps
Arts Waste
Francis Drake
café, SU café,
RLB café and
Issac's
Refectory
Recycled by the
company that
provide cooking
oil. This is then
sent to Cornwall
where is used to
make biofuels
and other
products.
Taken to locked
container by
technical
manager with
correct
paperwork where
Safety Officer will
take
responsibility
Photographic
Chemicals
AV Media and
Performance
Holding tank in
Scott
Processed,
treated and
disposed of
WasteCare
2 times a year
Spirit based Inks
Scott
Holding Vessel
Processed,
treated and
disposed of
PartWash UK
1or2 times a
year
Other Workshops
Woodwork, metal
work, ceramic
work shops
Depending on
waste
Recycled in
standard streams
Viridor
Ad-Hoc
Safety Officer &
Science Faculty
Technical and Physical
Resources Manager
David Morton
Arts Technical
Manager Richard
Bryce & Steve Carroll
Arts Technical
Manager - Workshop
& Materials Richard
Bryce & Steve Carroll
Arts Technical
Manager - Workshop
& Materials Richard
Bryce & Steve Carroll
Only for catering
waste
Safety Officer
Arts Technical
Manager
Arts Technical
Manager Workshop &
Materials
Waste
Administrative
Assistant
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Plymouth University
3.0 Strategy
It is recommended that PU adopt the following KPI’s.
Percentage of total waste recycled and waste (kg) per
student per year. It is also recommended that
2010/2011 become the baseline to which future data
is compared.
Waste Management Plan
KPI’s
1. % Total Waste Recycled
2. kg/student/year
Targets will be set to reach 70% of total waste recycled (based on baseline of
2010/11 – 53.6%) by the end of the 2013-14 academic year and bring
kg/student/year down from 25.7kg to below 20kg over the same time period, both
however are dependent on investment.
The strategy had outlined all waste streams from the university’s many different
sources highlighting what happens to the waste, how it is managed as well as who is
responsible for that particular stream/ area of waste. Making this available to all
campus users will heighten awareness and knowledge leading to recycling more at
source. Within the strategy the knowledge
Targets (By 2013/14)
of the waste hierarchy should also be
implemented to reduce PU total waste.
1. 70% Total Waste Recycled
Any waste streams currently not recorded
2. <20kg/student/year
will have procedures set in place as detailed
in the recommendation section so that PU records all of its waste and the strategy
will outline who is responsible for collating such data. Communications and
procedures to be set up so that all associated staff are aware of when and how they
should record data and to whom they should send information. In addition it will be
emphasised that the producer of specific waste i.e. faculty waste are responsible for
collection and disposal. This includes checking relevant legislation (see legislation
section) and recording waste transfer notes.
It is the responsibility of the waste producer to ensure waste is disposed of
responsibly. This includes checking a company who is contracted to dispose of waste
have correct legislation i.e. waste carrier and disposal licences. The producer is also
required to record waste transfer notices and notify E&FM Waste Administrative
Assistant weights of waste disposed of.
Data will be collated by one individual (E&FM waste administrative assistant) and it
will be the duty of the waste producer to notify this person dates, quantities and
weights of waste. This will aid the management of data and reduce the risk of nonconformities regarding auditing. To summarise using an example, catering dispose
of old vegetable oil and it will be the responsibility of the catering manager to check
14
Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
legislation regarding the company used for collection and disposal, as will the
recording of data and waste transfer notes. The details of waste will then be e-mailed
to the data recorder periodically where an electronic copy of all of PU wastes will be
kept.
As departments deal with waste and their
associated costs in different ways, there is
no formal procedure in place to record how
much money is spent in this sector. The new
waste strategy will make use of the waste
collection account code which is 1443. On
receipt of an invoice from the waste
contactor the account code 1443 should be
used on the invoice approval form which is
then sent to finance. The related attribute
(Cat 6) should also be noted on the form
which will identify the specific waste stream
(see table). Expenditure reports of each
stream will then be made more efficient when
reporting directly from Agresso.
Attribute Code
CONPAP
CONTAIN
GENWAS
GLASS
GREEN
HAZWAS
INK
METAL
NAP
ORANGE
PAPER
PHOCHEM
PLASPA
PLATIN
SANIT
SAW
SCIGLA
SHARP
TONER
TUBE
WEEE
WOOD
Description
Confidential Paper
Container Hire
General Waste
Glass
Green/Garden
Hazardous Waste
Spirit Based Inks
Metal
Nappies
Orange Bag
Paper & Card
Photographic
Chemicals
Plaster of Paris
Plastics & Tin
Sanitary
Saw Dust
Scientific Glass
Sharps
Toner
Tubes and Lamps
WEEE
Wood
The strategy will also encompass an
improvement to the signage of bins around
campus. A major problem at the moment is
cross-contamination, for e.g. a banana skin
in the paper stream may cause the whole
bag of paper waste to be sent to landfill. The
reason for this is due to the confused
message PU portrays on its bins and with
improved signage, the knowledge to the user
will also increase, improving recycling rates. This should be invested in immediately
and full details are found within the proposal section.
Alongside better signage, precedents should be set by staff to recycle more. The
removal of office bins to be replaced with Desk Top Recyclers (DTR’s) and
communal recycle stations will aid recycling percentages. This will make staff
members move to the recycle station and not just throw all waste in a convenient
desk bin. It will also make staff more responsible for their waste as it will be the
individual’s responsibility to empty the DTR’s. An added benefit to this will give
cleaning staff more time to clean and not empty bins. It is suggested that this is done
in Davy and Portland Square and then rolled out through campus building by
building.
The publication of this report, waste streams matrix and other informative information
will motivate staff to do more, it is also important that is known what benefits there
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
are too added recycling and this will be marketed with the help of Marketing and
Communications.
A communal and central point on campus should be utilised as a ‘Recycle Hub’
which will be one point for all campus users to recycle all waste streams. It is
suggested that the South West corner of Smeaton be utilised for this and a row of
recycle bins situated along the West elevation (adjacent to the glass container). This
will provide a vibrant, clean and sustainable image for campus users as well as
being an excellent way to manage waste. This will also show users that PU is
committed to continual improvement.
Having a holistic, efficient and well managed waste strategy will be financially
beneficial, reduce any negative impact on the environment, add to PU corporate
image as well as aiding peer assessment groups such as LIFE or People and Planet.
Waste Carrier details to be checked and logged. Waste Carrier Certificate Kept on file
Waste disposal site details to be checked and logged. Waste Management
Licence/Environmental Permit kept on file
Arrange waste removal through waste contractor
Fill out Waste Transfer Note, including European Waste Catalogue Number , waste
description, SIC code and declaration that waste hierarchy has been considered.
Retain Top copy of Waste Transfer Note from waste carrier when waste leaves site or an
annual waste transfer note.
Ask waste carrier for confirmation of disposal
Weight of waste to be logged
It will be the responsibility of the Director of Estates and Facility Management and
Head of Security/Campus Services to ensure this strategy and related policy are
implemented and will be reported to the carbon advisory group.
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Plymouth University
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4.0 Waste Figures (Tonnes)
PU has 18,841full time equivalent (FTE) students on campus producing over 500
tonnes of waste. This equates to producing 25.7 kg per student per year.
Tonnage data for specific waste streams are detailed below 2007/08 – 2011/12.
TOTAL WASTE
Academic Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
382.45
459.87
371.53
527.72
503.38
(Aug - July)
20.24%
-19.21%
42.04%
-4.61%
Fiscal Year
427.32
419.83
455.01
524.54
-1.75%
8.38%
15.28%
462.79
356.78
567.44
10.17%
-22.91%
59.04%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
420.06
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL WASTE RECYCLED
Academic Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
50.85%
52.70%
53.15%
57.23%
47.83%
(Aug - July)
Fiscal Year
3.64%
0.85%
7.67%
-16.42%
50.56%
57.82%
52.21%
52.62%
14.35%
-9.70%
0.79%
53.52%
50.68%
57.82%
5.06%
-5.32%
14.10%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
50.94%
RECYCLED
Academic Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
194.49
242.37
197.47
302.00
240.76
(Aug - July)
24.62%
-18.53%
52.93%
-20.28%
Fiscal Year
216.05
242.73
237.55
276.02
12.35%
-2.13%
16.19%
247.69
180.80
328.10
15.75%
-27.01%
81.47%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
213.99
LANDFILL
Academic Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
187.96
217.50
174.06
225.72
262.62
(Aug - July)
15.72%
-19.97%
29.68%
16.35%
Fiscal Year
211.27
177.10
217.46
248.52
-16.17%
22.79%
14.28%
215.10
175.98
239.34
4.38%
-18.19%
36.00%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
206.07
Tins & Plastics
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
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Plymouth University
Academic Year
Waste Management Plan
3.10
(Aug - July)
Fiscal Year
4.28
3.56
4.34
7.79
38.06%
-16.82%
21.91%
79.49%
3.86
3.58
3.88
8.07
-7.25%
8.38%
107.99%
3.54
4.24
4.19
0.57%
19.77%
-1.18%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
3.52
Paper & Card
Academic Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
114.99
168.93
136.98
244.75
124.15
(Aug - July)
46.90%
-18.91%
78.68%
-49.27%
Fiscal Year
154.41
168.28
186.96
178.20
8.98%
11.10%
-4.69%
175.64
128.90
241.26
15.55%
-26.61%
87.17%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
152.01
WEEE (Electrical)
Academic Year
(Aug - July)
Fiscal Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
3.61
0.00
1.79
0.53
25.10
-100.00%
0.76
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
1.90
#DIV/0!
-70.39%
4635.85%
1.23
1.09
18.18
61.84%
-11.38%
1568.17%
1.23
0.88
17.91
-35.26%
-28.46%
1935.57%
Metal
Academic Year
(Aug - July)
Fiscal Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
9.97
12.92
9.90
7.62
19.28
29.61%
-23.37%
-23.03%
153.02%
8.96
17.14
3.24
17.06
91.29%
-81.10%
426.54%
18.38
3.24
11.76
91.06%
-82.37%
262.96%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
9.62
Wood
Academic Year
(Aug - July)
Fiscal Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
5.08
13.56
7.64
3.54
5.16
166.93%
6.26
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
6.50
-43.66%
-53.66%
45.76%
14.46
4.14
5.06
130.99%
-71.37%
22.22%
13.48
6.04
3.26
107.38%
-55.19%
-46.03%
Glass
Academic Year
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
2011/12
57.74
42.68
37.60
39.98
29.80
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
(Aug - July)
Fiscal Year
-26.08%
-11.90%
6.33%
-25.46%
41.80
38.04
37.50
32.58
-9.00%
-1.42%
-13.12%
35.42
37.50
35.98
-12.41%
5.87%
-4.05%
(Apr - Mar)
Calendar Year
40.44
5.0 Targets (Tonnes)
Below are details of how the proposed 70% total waste recycled target will effect PU
waste figures. It should be noted that this is based on the 2011-2012 baseline. Total
waste collected will rise however for this academic year, this is due to inefficiencies
being rectified in data collection. Many streams have not been recorded and once
they have been it is safe to presume total waste will rise. The areas where
improvement is needed are detailed in the recommendation section while costs can
be seen in the proposal section of this report.
Sliding scale of achieving 70% of total waste to be recycled by the end of the
2013/14 academic year



2011/12 – 48%
2012/13 – 59% (+11%)
2013/14 – 70% (+11%)
TOTAL
WASTE
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
2012/13 2013/14
Academic Year
573.77
476.49
332.14
484.32
484.32
484.32
484.32
(Aug - July)
-16.95%
-30.29%
45.82%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL WASTE
RECYCLED
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
2012/13 2013/14
Academic Year
67.24%
54.35%
47.59%
53.39%
58.39%
64.47%
70.01%
(Aug - July)
-19.17%
-12.44%
12.19%
9.37%
10.41%
8.59%
RECYCLED
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
2012/13 2013/14
Academic Year
385.81
258.99
158.08
258.60
285.41
312.24
339.07
(Aug - July)
-32.87%
-38.96%
63.59%
10.37%
9.40%
8.59%
LANDFILL
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
2012/13 2013/14
Academic Year
187.96
217.50
174.06
225.72
198.91
172.08
145.25
(Aug - July)
15.72%
-19.97%
29.68%
-11.88%
-13.49%
-15.59%
6.0 Waste Plan - Financing
Plymouth University spend nearly £100,000 per annum on the collection and
disposal of waste and this figure is set rise over the next 3 years. The Government
has already stated that cost to landfill will rise with a year on year increase of
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
£8/tonne/annum scheduled up to £80/tonne/annum in 2014/2015 equating to an
increase of 25%.
This will impact the waste budget by an increase of an estimated £30,000 in
2014/15. With the proposed investment however waste costs will fall to just over
£80,000 (£10,000 reduction), a saving of over £40,000 compared to business as
usual. The graph and table adjacent show the cost of waste as two scenarios; a
"business as usual" scenario and a possible scenario were the university makes real
reductions in reducing waste and improving recycling by means of investment.
Comparison between ‘Business as Usual’ and Saving through Investment
£125,000
£120,000
£115,000
£30,000
Waste Budget
£110,000
£105,000
Business
as Usual
£100,000
New
Strategy
including
Investment
£95,000
£10,000
£90,000
£85,000
£80,000
£75,000
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Year
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
New Strategy Including Investment
Business
as Usual
Year
Paper
Revenue
Savings in General
Waste
Baseline
Comparison
2010-2011
£90,705
£0
£0
£90,705
2011-2012
£94,080
£702
-£304
£90,307
2012-2013
£100,605
£1,602
£369
£88,336
2013-2014
£110,505
£2,334
£1,647
£84,355
2014-2015
£120,405
£2,334
£1,647
£80,374
To help realise this goal the university should invest through four defined pathways:
1. Invest in additional resources to improve the ability to recycle. A proposal for
additional waste bins has been submitted and is reiterated in this document.
The cost to achieve this is £30k with a payback period of less than 4
years.
2. Through raising awareness and making it easier for staff and students to
recycle
3. Having a common approach to recycling with our partners at UPP. This will
require additional funds as set out in the attached proposal.
4. Through the identification of waste streams and quantities there will be the
ability to monitor and target waste much more thoroughly than before. This
will also aid in the proposed tendering process.
The table below identifies how and where money will be saved through the new
strategy and proposed investment.
Description
20102011
20112012
20122013
2013 2014
20142015
Total
Total Waste (tonnes)
484.3
484.3
484.3
484.3
484.3
0
Quantity to Landfill (tonnes)
225.7
198.9
172.1
145.3
145.3
-80.5
Total recycled (tonnes)
258.6
285.4
312.2
339.1
339.1
80.5
Recycled paper (tonnes)
243.4
255.1
270.1
282.3
282.3
38.9
Increase in recycled paper
revenue
£702
£1,602
£2,334
£2,334
£6,972
Savings in general waste
costs (collection, disposal
and landfill tax)
-£304
£369
£1,647
£1,647
£3,359
Annual Saving
£398
£1,971
£3,981
£3,981
£10,331
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
6.1 Assumptions
In calculating the estimated costs and savings related to this plan, the following
assumptions have been made:



Costs based upon 2010/11 expenditure of landfill, paper, cardboard, glass
etc.
There are no additional costs for programme management. It is not
anticipated that additional staffing requirements would be needed in the
Estates & Facilities Management Directorate.
The university is committed to funding additional resources of £30k.
6.2 Unquantifiable Benefits/Savings
Some of the benefits of reducing waste and improving recycling that cannot be
measured include:






Enhanced financial forecasting and reduced risk to the University from
unavoidable and unforeseen utility budget increases
Access to further grant funding for carbon saving measures, eg from the
Carbon Trust
Alignment with Government and HEFCE objectives
Maintain our position as the UK’s top university in environmental performance
in the annual People and Planet Green league table
An improved reputation with both Staff and Students, both physiologically and
encouraging behavioural changes
Improved availability of data for Estates Management Statistical Return
6.3 Additional Resources
Outside of the additional funding request the system will run within the current
resource level. The responsibility for financial management will sit with the Director
of Estates and Facilities Management.
6.4 Financial Costs and Sources of Funding
This project will be funded through the Capital Programme and subject to Board of
Governors approval on an annual basis as necessary.
7.0 Recommendations
During the process of information gathering certain areas for improvement have
been noticed and discussed with relevant staff and external persons within the waste
industry.
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Plymouth University
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7.1 Immediate Action Required





Set ‘smart’ target. From 48% recycled waste up to 70% and from
25.7kg/student/annum to 20kg/student/year. It is recommended to be set over
a three year period on a sliding scale to achieve the target by the end of
2013/14.
Investment required to improve signage. A clear, simple, consistent message
should be portrayed across campus adhering to WRAP guidance.
(Details can be found in the waste proposal document).
Due to the change in laboratory procedure general waste and recycling bins
have been removed from many areas of the Davy Building. 48 fire retardant
bins should be purchased and placed in circulation space to solve this
problem at a cost of £3,037
(Details can be found in the waste proposal document).
Certain gaps are evident regarding waste figures. Currently E&FM waste
administrative assistant records figures sent from Viridor. It is recommended
that this occurs for collating and recording all waste streams from all
departments. This requires communication with relevant PU stakeholders.
An account code (1443) has already been set up for all waste payments but
this is not always used. Currently you need to search for each stream via the
supplier code but if this account code was used correctly, analysis of financial
figures would be made easier and more efficient. Within this account code,
attributes will also be used to identify separate streams and their related
costs.
7.2 Short Term



To have more communal recycle stations, introducing desk top recyclers
to office areas and removing general office waste bins. Introduced
throughout Davy building and Portland Square, it will be used as a precedent
to introduce the system across campus with detailed data analysis proving its
success.
It is recommended investigation takes place into the feasibility of a joint
waste tender with our partners at UPP, Tamar Science Park and UCP
Marjon.
Consideration should be given to a central point of campus being designated
as a large recycle hub, currently there is not a central point on campus for
recycling all streams. It is suggested that the hub be strategically placed to
service the facility to recycle plastic/tin, paper/card, glass, batteries, toner,
mobile phones, wood, metal, textiles, food waste and WEEE as well as a
general waste bin.
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Plymouth University
7.3








Waste Management Plan
Medium-Long Term
The WTC should be extended for additional recycling. The confidential waste
container can then be moved into the compound as well as enabling space for
further recycling. Car parking spaces will be reduced however but only during
the construction of the marine building.
- With additional space, larger containers and compactors could be
used allowing PU to reduce the amount of collections for disposal,
reducing costs and embodied carbon from transport.
Improvements to the security of the WTC can be made easily and at low
cost. Within the WTC there are many hazardous materials and objects
including the hazardous chemicals container and injury is risked with open
gates. The WTC should be kept locked at all times.
The recording of catering waste started in Oct 2011 and will continue through
to Apr 2012. Giving PU accurate information on the amount of waste being
produced. This will give a better understanding of what measures can be
taken to reduce food waste.
Food waste can contribute up to 30% of all waste, currently all food waste
goes to landfill or is macerated but PU have the possibility to utilise this waste.
It does take good management however but this stream can be utilised to
generate energy through anaerobic digestion which can done locally at
Language Farm, Smithaleigh, Plymouth.
PU external bins could be retro-fitted to maximise the potential of having 4
waste streams. This fourth stream could be utilised for food waste once
investigations into food waste have been carried out. The cost of this
modification is in the signage and included with the proposal section of this
report.
On the west side of Roland Levinski Building E&FM’s electric van is parked
and being utilised permanently for bin bag storage. It is recommended that
this repaired and put back into action, saving CO² as diesel vans will not be
used as much. Additionally if the food waste stream was feasible the electric
van could be used to collect this as efficient collections will stop to risk of
problems with odours and vermin.
The feasibility of re-using Plaster-of-Paris should be researched by arts
technicians. Certain processes can be implemented to get the material back
to a powder to be used again. Funds could then be saved on collection and
disposal as well as purchasing the raw product. Discussions required Faculty
of Arts.
With better communication between staff and students items could be re-used
as salvage. As long as they are in a safe condition many items can be reused saving PU to dispose of such. It is recommended and marketed that at
certain times campus users are invited to take items from the WTC away as
salvage. This could incorporate a salvage page on the intranet where items
24
Plymouth University





Waste Management Plan
wanted/ discarded are listed. It is thought students could use materials for
academic projects.
Before any furniture is purchased an e-mail to estateshelp@plymouth.ac.uk
should be sent asking if items are available in storage. This ranges from
chairs and tables to filing cabinets. If items are not required and unwanted
after being in storage they should be made available to students to take away
free of charge, thus saving the product from landfill.
A small container for glass should be procured for the WTC.
Regular audits of departments/schools/office waste to be carried out by a
team of auditors which will also aid compliance for ISO 14001.
Recommended a composter is purchased and stored on PU’s allotment.
Garden waste from Skardon Place (estimated 200 bags per annum) can be
utilised by the allotment society.
o In the meantime the 5kg composter from the SU should be moved to
the allotment.
A full survey of campus should be undertaken to survey the location, quality,
quantity and state of repair of all bins.
8.0 Legislation and Regulations
The producer of waste is responsible for the collection and disposal
Whether waste is disposed of by PU or the collection and disposal is subcontracted the following must be checked, held and recorded;
1. Current Waste Carrier Licence.
2. Current Waste Disposal Permit. Waste Transfer Notes.
3. These should be kept for a minimum of two years and three years if
the waste stream is hazardous.
PU must comply with laws, legal requirements and follow strict legislation as well as
adhering to a number of other directives, laws and acts regarding the responsible
management, collection and disposal of waste.
A full list of legislation and regulations are detailed on p.27
25
Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Animal by-products regulations 2005
Batteries Directive 2010
Clean Neighbourhoods and environmental act 2005
Control of Pollution Act 1974
Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles)
Regulations 1991
Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 (as amended 1993)
Environment Act 1995
Environmental Permitting of Waste 2010
Environmental Protection Act 1990
Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991
EU Waste Framework Directive 2008
European WEEE directive
Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 & 2009
Information on the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003
Landfill Directive 1999
Landfill Tax Regulations 1996
Packaging, Packaging waste, and the Packaging Waste Regulations 2010
Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997
Site waste management plans regulations 2008 (England only)
The List of Wastes (England) Regulations 2005, SI 895
The waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Waste Batteries and Accumulators act 1991
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) 2007
Waste Incineration (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, SI 2980
Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994
Waste Management Licences (Consultation and Compensation) Regulations
1999
Waste Management Regulations (England and Wales) 1996
Waste Minimisation Act 1998
Appendix
9.0 Current Waste Streams
Only general waste should go to landfill
9.1 Non-Hazardous Waste
Non-hazardous waste can be categorised into recyclable and non-recyclable waste,
PU has three main streams of waste collection those being general waste,
plastics/tin mixed and paper/card mixed. Other streams of waste are also collected
but they require further waste management and more specialised collection and
disposal.
9.1.1 General Waste
General waste is collected by cleaners and CSO’s from main campus on a set daily
routine, collections also include Cookworthy Building, the Diving and Marine Centre
and Royal William Yard which are collected 2/3 times a week. This is then taken to
the WTC, compacted in a 35 yard compactor and collected by Viridor once a week.
9.1.2 Recyclable Waste
Paper/card mixed recycling is collected by cleaners and CSO’s and held in a
container within the WTC. This is stored and piled by hand by CSO’s and collected
by Viridor on a weekly basis. At the time of this report PU generates income by
collecting this waste stream at £60 per tonne. This figure fluctuates however and is
market led, forecasts suggest that this amount will drop and plateau to around £50
per tonne in the short to medium term.
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
PU has a duty of care to dispose of its confidential waste appropriately,
responsibly, efficiently and confidentially. The collection and disposal is contracted to
Viridor who collect confidential waste from a locked container in the WTC and take to
a confidential shredding unit in Martock, Somerset. This waste stream is recycled but
unfortunately due to the process’ in place PU does not receive income from recycled
confidential waste.
What is Confidential Waste?
Confidential waste is at the discretion of the user but a general rule of
thumb is – any information containing any of the following;
Personal data, social security and PAYE records, accounts and Vat
records, customer information, banking information, credit card details or
personal health information are classed as confidential.
For campus users to dispose of their confidential waste it should be placed in blue
bags and stored in a secure location. Collection is arranged by e-mailing the campus
services supervisor.
Plastic/tin mixed are collected by cleaners and CSO’s and stored in a separate
container to await a weekly collection from Viridor. This stream should be contained
in clear plastic bags which help CSO’s check for and filter contamination.
(General waste, Plastic/Tin, Confidential waste and Paper/Card can be collected on
request from anywhere on campus and surrounding estates by contacting the
campus services supervisor and advising of location and quantity).
Glass is collected on campus by Viridor but currently through only one place on
campus which is a 15m³ bottle bank outside Smeaton Building (East side). As
Plymouth University Student Union (SU) is the primary user of this facility they call
Viridor when the bank needs to be emptied. Management however, of this stream is
that of the Head of Security/Campus Services who is also responsible for all other
matters including contracts, payment, data collection and other legal requisites such
as storing transfer notices. The bottle bank is open to all campus users.
PU Library use a company called ‘BetterWorld Books’ who re-distribute books in
good condition to others who require them and books in poorer condition are
recycled. At the time of this report BetterWorld Books had saved over 65 million
books from worldwide landfills by re-using or recycling. BetterWorld Books collect
from the library on an Ad-Hoc basis depending on size of collection organised by the
Learning Environment & Information Services Manager. This service is not available
to students but staff/academics can facilitate this recycling stream. PU generate a
small amount of income once the books have been sold.
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Plymouth University
Waste Management Plan
Wood is recycled by a company named ‘WoodYew Waste’ who have a compound in
Smithaleigh, Plymouth. PU general wood waste comes from pallets, faculty of arts
waste and old furniture. This is temporarily stored at the WTC, once there is enough
material to fill E&FM’s caged van this is delivered to WoodYew Waste.
Metals are collected by CSO’s by request and occasionally items are brought to the
WTC. Metals are stripped and stored in the WTC until there is enough waste to fill
and a van and this is taken to ‘Sims Metal Management’.
Recently (within a month of report being written) PU Library has started a collection
of used plastic carrier bags. 6 collection points are located around the Library for
campus users to return carrier bags which will be re-used by students when taking
books out.
Furniture that is no longer required but is still in good condition is stored in the
basement of Issac Foot. This comes from office moves and upgrades in furniture.
This storage facility allows for items to be re-used, if items are not required by other
areas of the institution they are sold to H&W knights and sons. Any furniture that is
not re-used or sold is then offered to staff and what is left is then discarded into its
specific stream. It should also be noted that if any staff or students require a piece of
furniture they can e-mail the campus services supervisor and request specific items.
Monthly updates are then e-mailed to Office of Procurement and Sustainability
(OPS) advising of re-used or discarded furniture for data collection. This stream is
the responsibility of the campus services supervisor.
9.2 Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste is the responsibility of the producer and they must arrange the
collection and disposal of this waste through the health and safety officer.
‘Some types of waste are harmful to human health, or to the environment, either
immediately or over an extended period of time. These are called hazardous wastes
(Environmental Agency). They can be classified as any waste which ‘can kill, injure,
or cause health problems to a person, living organism or organisation’.
PU has many different types of hazardous waste due to the functions of the
institution. There are many different types of laboratories, workshops and services
that use chemicals and other types of hazardous materials. PU’s Safety Officer is
responsible for the collection and disposal of hazardous waste, only once he has
received and signed for it from the producer however.
9.2.1 Recyclable Hazardous Waste
Plymouth University produces saw dust waste from workshops in Brunel
Laboratories where an extraction system produces 3-5 bags a week. As this waste
stream is from mixed wood it has to be classified as hazardous. Due to the
manufacturing procedure, MDF contains resin which should not inhaled. Therefore
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CSO’s collect sealed backs of sawdust from Brunel W03 and store it in a locked skip
behind Scott Building where it is collected by Viridor.
Plaster-of-Paris waste is stored in a locked skip behind Scott Building and comes
from faculty of Arts workshops within Scott (003). CSO’s remove waste plaster from
the workshop where it is stored in a convenient location for both users and
collectors. Viridor collect this waste stream roughly 4 times a year where it is
processed and hence can be used to manufacture other gypsum based products.
Vegetable Oil is used by four catering facilities on campus namely SU cafeteria,
Drake Café, Roland Levinksy Building and Issac’s Refectory. Catering only use
vegetable oil in their methods and this is recycled by a company called ‘OilMasters’.
When deliveries occur they collect the waste product, this is managed by the
Catering Manager.
WEEE waste has historically been collected by ‘Absolute Recycling Centre’ (ARC)
with intermediate storage at Estates Yard or WTC.
PU has recently used ‘PLUSS’ who will collect all of our WEEE waste free of charge
(FOC). A FOC WEEE amnesty was arranged for Friday 25th November 2011
collecting a total of 17.3 tonnes.
Mobile phones can be recycled in one of two ways, either within Waste Electrical
and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) waste streams or via a specific mobile phone
recycling stream ran by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as they
are responsible for staff mobiles. The latter is recommended as PU generates
income from the contactor who is ‘EMC Mobile Phone Recycling’ and the collection
point on campus is 301 (next to kitchen) Babbage Building. ICT try and re-use any
mobile phones before sending it away to be recycled. This is the managed by the
Telephone Systems Supervisor.
Battery recycling is classed as hazardous waste, there are currently two ways in
which campus users can dispose of batteries to be recycled. One is in the Estates
Yard on Endsleigh Place with collection and disposal from ‘Electrical Waste
Recycling Group’ managed by E&FM and the other is in Davy Building room 204
which is organised by the Aquatic Ecology Technician who arranges for ‘European
Recycling Platform Battery Recycling’ (ERP) to collect and dispose FOC.
Ink bottles and toner are collected by Canon who work in partnership with eReco,
Canon/eReco re-use and recycle this waste. There are a number of recycle points
around campus, mainly in office environments, communal printer points and in the
Library. These are then collected by CSO’s on request or via routine and stored in
the WTC where they are collected by Canon/eReco on an Ad-Hoc basis at the
request of the DPC Manager or Campus Service Supervisor
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Non canon ink cartridges can be recycled via the media centre in the basement of
the Library. These are collected and re-used or stripped down with individual
components being recycled by Green Agenda 2 or 3 times a year. This service is
available to all campus users.
9.2.2 Non-Recyclable Hazardous Waste
Chemicals are stored in a secure and locked container within the WTC. Users of
chemicals are required to bring the waste to the container where they will meet the
health and safety officer with the required documents and responsibility will be
signed over. Details of the items are kept by the administrative assistant for
Governance, Secretariat and Registry and once the container is full, collection and
disposal are tendered for.
Strict legislation controls these types of wastes and the Health and Safety Officer
must have a licence from the environmental agency and adhere to regulations from
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), the environment act 1990 and
relevant transportation regulations.
Heavy prosecution can be inflicted if PU does not conform to regulations
and legislation regarding the collection and disposal of hazardous waste.
9.3 Department/Faculty Streams
Due to the functions of the institution there are other more specialised areas of waste
management, they mainly come in the form of specific faculty waste such as Science
and Arts. Therefore a more systematic procedure has been put in place to deal with
these waste streams as can be seen below.
9.3.1 Science waste
(Information from Faculty Technical and Physical Resources Manager)
9.3.2 Non-Hazardous
All waste paper bins, white bin liners, cardboard/paper, plastics/tin waste bins and
recycling “stations” will be removed from laboratories. This will eliminate the need for
any recyclable waste to be taken into laboratories. (Even the presence of drinks or
food containers in a laboratory waste stream implies eating or drinking in the
laboratory which is not permitted).
Due to this recent change in waste procedure within the Faculty of Science and
Technology (FoST) the number of recycle bins and stations has been reduced
drastically, thus diminishing the possibility to recycle waste. It is detailed in the
recommendation section that new ‘fire safe’ bins are purchased for the Davy
Building.
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9.3.2.1 In laboratories:
Grey or white swing bin with black bin liner. This bin should be located near the hand
wash basin (if installed) or in a prominent location. It should be labelled “NONHAZARDOUS WASTE ONLY, e.g. hand towel, packaging, paper”. To minimise the
creation of packaging waste within laboratories, staff should aim to unpack as many
boxes as is safe and possible to do, prior to entry into the lab. This means it would
be sensible to set up a delivery point in an office or “preparation” area.
All botanical or garden waste (unless genetically modified or non-native species) can
be composted at Skardon Place. However, imported plants and seeds should be
incinerated via the yellow bag/orange tag and yellow Eurocart waste stream (see
below).
9.3.3 Hazardous Waste
The following list identifies the various types of hazardous waste generated by the
Faculty and how to handle them. The guidance seeks to provide consistent
procedures throughout the Faculty and thereby facilitate segregation of the different
waste streams. The majority of hazardous waste is produced within the laboratory
but there are some items e.g. batteries which equally derive from the office
environment.
9.3.3.1 Biological Waste Stream:
The Faculty (mainly within the Davy Building) routinely produces the following
categories of hazardous biological waste:



GM 1/2 and HG 1/2 (GM=genetically modified, HG=Hazard Group)
Animal (including marine organisms)
Human (some of which may fall under control of the Human Tissue Act, 2008)
It may occasionally produce HG3 waste.
The waste may take the form of solid, liquid or sharps. Legislation dictates what
procedures must be used for waste disposal and these relate to the degree of risk
associated with the waste. In the past, most biological waste (even when autoclaved
on-site) has been sent for incineration. For environmental reasons, to minimise the
volume of waste for incineration, an “Alternative Treatment” (usually industrial
autoclaving) process followed by rendering has been introduced. This waste stream
then goes to landfill. However, in the south west alternative treatment facilities are
not locally available. This means that all categories of hazardous biological waste at
the University of Plymouth after on-site sterilisation/disinfection will need to be
incinerated.
Solid waste (non-sharp) will initially be placed in autoclave waste bags and following
autoclaving will be placed in yellow bags. These will be taken (by technical staff) to a
dedicated yellow Eurocart. All bags will be sealed with a yellow tag, except for any
waste that falls under the Human Tissue Act. These yellow bags will be sealed with a
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red tag. Contaminated animal waste (carcases, bedding etc.) will be placed in a
yellow bin (Griff or Wiva sealed-lid type), the lid sealed on and the whole placed in
the yellow Eurocart. Carcases and tissue from non-hazardous aquaria/shellfish
waste should be incinerated. To avoid foul odours, all such waste should be frozen
and then placed in a yellow bag/orange tag and removed to the yellow Eurocart
within 24hours of its removal. The shells, once rinsed, can be placed in black bags.
Liquid waste (e.g. from liquid cultures, not hot media) should preferably be
disinfected (but might be autoclaved) and then either flushed to drain (subject to risk
assessment and validation) or placed in a yellow waste bin with a sealed orange lid
for disposal via the yellow Eurocart.
All sharps (i.e scalpels & needles) will be placed in yellow sharps bins with orange
lids. Plastic disposable pipettes (e.g. 10ml+, not pastettes) should be considered as
sharps (since they can puncture a plastic bag). These should be double bagged or
there are rectangular sharps bins available specifically designed to take these.
All uncontaminated sharps, small items of laboratory glassware (e.g. vials,
cuvettes, test tubes etc.), broken glass and all pyrex glass should be disposed of via
an orange 22l Dannibin (with orange lid) which will be collected by the CSOs for
crushing prior to landfill.
Glass waste will usually either fall into the category of uncontaminated sharps
above or “domestic” glass. The latter will comprise mainly laboratory reagent bottles.
These should be rinsed (via wash-up room), dried and disposed of (unbroken) via
the cardboard glass waste boxes. Standard 2.5l Winchesters should be returned to
the supplier, ultimately via the Post-Room collection point. NB should anyone
generate contaminated glass waste, consultation with the Technical Manager is
required.
9.3.3.2 Chemical Waste Stream:
All surplus chemicals should be catalogued, segregated by hazard, and disposed
of using the University hazardous waste procedure, via the Technical Manager.
All reagents/solutions should be disposed of according to a COSHH assessment
which will identify the hazard category (e.g. harmful, toxic etc) and the concentration.
The assessment may result in disposal via the drain or via the University hazardous
waste procedure.
All chemical contaminated sharps/small items of lab glassware e.g. vials, test
tubes etc. should be disposed of according to a COSHH assessment which will
identify the hazard category (e.g. harmful, toxic etc) and the concentration. The
assessment may result in disposal via the non-hazardous laboratory sharps/glass
system, an orange Dannibin or via the University hazardous waste procedure.
Particular attention should be paid to chemical waste which is flammable (see
below), explosive, toxic or mutagenic/carcinogenic. These will certainly require
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disposal via the University hazardous waste procedure. CHIP 4, 2009 provides a list
of risk and safety phrases which will help determine the method of disposal.
Flammable solvent waste should be disposed of via two waste streams,
chlorinated and non-chlorinated. Laboratories generating this type of waste should
supply two bottles (e.g. 1L or 2.5L according to volume produced) appropriately
identified with orange 3WE labels. Usually there is no need to either segregate (other
than the two named above) or record volumes of different flammable solvents. The
waste bottles should be stored (as the stock solvents) in a flammables cabinet.
9.3.3.3 Disposable Gloves:
The waste stream for disposable gloves is governed by the nature of the
contaminant. If the gloves are contaminated with a biohazard they will need to be
autoclaved and disposed of by incineration. If the chemical is very toxic e.g. a
carcinogen then gloves should be incinerated. However, no gloves should enter the
non-hazardous (black bag) waste stream.
9.4 Arts Waste
Responsibility for arts waste is by two Technical Managers. The Technical
Manager for Workshops and Materials and the Technical Manager for AV Media
and Performance.
Students using metal, ceramics, clay and wood have to purchase materials
themselves. Because of this, there is generally very little waste and as a recycling
scheme takes place which allows students to re-use materials before purchasing
new.
AV Media and Performance waste comes in the form of surplus photographic
chemistry, which is poured down a sink into a holding tank. This is pumped out 2 or 3
times per year. Silver is removed from the chemicals and its value is taken off the
cost of collection and disposal. It is collected by WasteCare Ltd.
There is also other waste from AV Media and Performance, which includes wide
format paper and photographic paper which is not recyclable and thus does go to
landfill. It should be noted that this is very minimal and the waste hierarchy is
implemented at every opportunity.
Plaster-of-Paris is used by arts and is produced by using gypsum, therefore classed
as hazardous. A secure skip is situated behind Scott building and collected by Viridor
3 or 4 times a year. This is then processed to turn the product back into its original
form of gypsum powder.
Clay is non-hazardous, but plaster is. When students work with these products,
plaster gets in to the clay. A large amount of clay is recycled by pulping it, and
reforming dry clay in a pug mill. If it has impurities in it, it will cause a kiln explosion
and so some clay is collected by Viridor within the plaster skip.
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Metal print on to paper uses spirit based inks. This means oil rags are disposed of,
as they are combustible with heat. Spent acids cannot be re-used and roughly 10
litres are disposed of through PartsWash UK. The rags are collected by the Safety
Officer.
Letter press involves a chemical spirit based washing of oil based inks. There is a
contract with Parts Wash UK with a 50 litre container being collected twice a year.
Screen print is water based only. Therefore water based ink is used on fabrics and
paper. The primary waste product is sodden paper, and this is disposed of in the
standard way. As the screen print is water based any excess which cannot be reused is disposed of though the drains and water course.
Royal William Yard is an area used for fine art. There are some spirit based
materials used by students. The majority of waste is wood, which is recycled. There
is no facility there for the safe disposal of spirit based chemicals. However, they have
moved away from spirit based chemicals towards water based chemicals. This
includes using ‘Zest-it’ – a more environmentally friendly, non-flammable
biodegradable alternative which is now common practise.
9.5 Catering Waste
Catering waste has not historically been recorded or monitored but improvements
have been made regarding waste in this sector with data being recorded at time of
report being created. Vegetable oil is recycled but some food waste comes from
events and meetings, this is not the fault of catering however as it is difficult to
predict quantities of numbers and how hungry the client is. Recent procedures have
been put in place to reduce the amount of catering PU provides at meeting and
events which will reduce food waste. Food waste either goes to landfill or is
macerated but improvements can still be made as detailed in the recommendation
section.
9.6 University of Plymouth Students Union (SU)
The SU building is leased by PU and therefore PU dispose of SU waste in the same
manner as any other building. The SU do however have a composter positioned
behind their ‘urban garden’. It is a standard 5kg vessel and can produce a bucket of
compost every 1-2weeks but this has not been utilised or marketed and very rarely
used so it is advised this is moved to the PU allotment as detailed in
recommendation section.
9.7 Halls of Residence - University Partnerships Programme (UPP)
UPP are a separate entity to PU and therefore have different waste policies and
procedures. Their current waste contract is with Plymouth City Council and have
arranged for mixed recycling (other than glass) to be collected from student
accommodation. Therefore, a different message is being portrayed to the largest
University stakeholder, the students, which may cause confusion on what can and
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cannot be recycled on campus and in halls. Changes to the signage of PU bins will
help irradiate this problem and details can be found in the recommendation section.
UPP do have a clothing bank situated near to Radnor halls which is collected by
Wilcox who ship them abroad, this service is available FOC for all campus users.
9.8 Other Waste Streams
9.8.1 Nursery
The Nursery on Campus dispose of an estimated 15 bags of nappies per week
which is collected from a secure external bin by Viridor who collect and dispose of
this non-hazardous clinical waste.
Additionally the nursery will take scrap and shredded paper to use as resource for
the children.
9.8.2 Planscape
Planscape are sub-contracted to deal with the University grounds and hence they
dispose of green, garden waste. This is not recorded however as their waste is
mixed with waste from other clients and not recordable.
9.8.3 Contractors
External contractors working on campus are generally required to dispose of their
own waste including that arising from construction, refurbishment and maintenance.
All external contractors are required to either hold a Waste Carriers Licence or
demonstrate that waste is removed by a provider who holds a Waste Carriers
Licence. The disposal of waste is set out in the contract between the employer and
contractor; no generic rules exist for this reason.
9.8.4 Estates
Oil and Paint are used by estates and are both classed as hazardous waste, this is
managed very effectively by E&FM and wastes from these sources are negligible.
Fluorescent tubes which are classed as hazardous waste and light bulbs (nonhazardous) are disposed of in containers in the Estates yard, Endsleigh Place. They
are taken by Electrical Waste Recycling Group Ltd and are managed by the Yard
store-man of E&FM.
9.9 Improvements to Waste Streams without a Procedure in Place
Certain waste streams have been identified but as of yet no procedure is in place to
dispose of food, textiles and garden waste. At the moment they go to landfill so
certain procedures will be required for them to be re-used, reduced or recycled
saving associated costs of collection and disposal, landfill space and associated
greenhouse gases.
Textiles currently go to landfill via the compactor in the WTC. Textiles come from old
uniforms generally from E&FM, arts waste and individual staff and students wishing
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to recycle textiles. If a textile recycling bank was procured then unwanted textiles
could be re-used.
PU generates green waste from Skardon Place, however most comes from
Planscape. It is estimated that E&FM collect 50 bags from Skardon Place four times
a year which go to landfill. If procedures were in place this waste can be saved from
lanfill and put to better use. Recommendations have been made to save this waste
from landfill and aid the sustainable food group in their production of fresh fruit and
vegetables through the use of a composter.
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10.0 Glossary of Terms
CO² - Carbon Dioxide
COSHH – Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. Part of the Health and Safety
executive it gives practical advice and states legislation due to hazardous materials.
CSO – Campus Service Operatives. Members of staff who collect and sort waste.
DMC – Diving and Marine Centre
DPC – Document Production Centre
DTR – Desk Top Recycler. This is a small box to be placed on a desk to be used for
paper or other recyclable items
E&FM – Estates and Facility Management
FOC – Free of Charge
FTE – Full time equivalent
LIFE – Performance improvement system to manage, measure, improve and
promote social responsibility and sustainability performance
OPS – Office of Procurement and Sustainability
PCC – Plymouth City Council
PCMD – Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
People and Planet (P&P) – Annual ‘green’ league tables publishing the
environmental and sustainable performance of universities.
PU – Plymouth University
SU – Student Union
UPP – University Partnerships Programme
WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electrical Equipment
Viridor – Pu’s current main waste contractor
WRAP – Waste and Resources Action Programme
WTC – Waste Transfer Centre. The area behind Babbage Building where waste is
sorted and stored.
WTN – Waste Transfer Notice
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11.0 Current Bin Signage
A selection of the same bin style but different messages being portrayed across
campus buildings.
Rolle
Babbage
Smeaton
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Other examples of confused signage
Rolle




Outside IVT
Incorrect logo’s
Different colours for the same streams
The same colour for different streams
PU do not have a food waste stream
Rolle Square
Four containers for two waste streams
o Plastic & Cans mixed
o Paper & Card mixed
Examples of the poor state of exterior recycle stations
Outside Brunel
Outside the Library
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Examples of poor planning which has led to multiple bins on certain areas and a lack
of bins in other areas
In between Babbage and Portland Villa’s
3 Bins
First Floor of Rolle
3 recycle stations (6 Bins)
(One out of shot)
To rectify some of the problems in Appendix A, a full bin survey will have to take
place before any of the budget is spent. It will be used to highlight what bins are on
campus, how many bins and exactly where they are. Then plans can be put into
place to intelligently manage PU’s waste streams.
11.1 Suggested Bin Signage
Details of the proposed new signage in accordance with Waste and Resources
Action Programme (WRAP)
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