Segregation Guidance Case Study
University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
The University of Edinburgh installed segregated recycling units in its Pollock Halls of
Residence and re-tendered its waste and recycling collection contract resulting in an
increased recycling rate and more cost-effective service.
January 2013
Zero Waste Scotland Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
Location
The University of Edinburgh is based in Scotland’s capital city which has a population of around 500,000. Pollock Halls
of Residence lies approximately 1.25 miles southeast of the city centre on the edge of Holyrood Park and provides
catered accommodation to around 2,000 primarily undergraduate first-year students. This represents around one third
of the total number of students that the University can provide accommodation for. Other accommodation is spread
across the city centre and comprises self-catered flats and student houses.
The Pollock Halls site is managed by staff in the Accommodation Services department. There are 10 individual ‘houses’
on the site, each up to six storeys high and built primarily in the 1960s except two more modern residences which
were opened in the 2000s. In addition to accommodation areas, each house contains a number of ‘pantries’: small
kitchenettes with basic cooking facilities where students can prepare hot drinks and snacks. There are 200 pantries
across the site.
Rationale
Prior to 2007, recycling facilities at all University of Edinburgh student residences were provided by Edinburgh City
Council. The use of these facilities by students was largely unmanaged and the Accommodation Services team at
Pollock Halls felt that this was not an effective or sustainable system of managing waste for that site. The level of
contamination with unacceptable materials was high and much of the recyclable materials were being disposed of in
general waste bins and sent to landfill.
This system was reviewed, and the University decided to go out to tender for a private waste collection contract. It
was felt that a private contractor would be able to provide a recycling system that was more tailored to the needs of
students whilst delivering greater sustainability benefits. Self-catered student residences are classed as domestic
properties and therefore continue to receive waste and recycling collections from the Council, without charge to the
University.
The system serves a transient student population, so the recycling system needs to be easily understood within a
relatively short period of time. This was a key consideration when planning the range and level of segregation of
materials, type of recycling units and signage.
Scheme overview
The new contract for waste collections at Pollock Halls was awarded to Shanks in 2007 and later to Biffa in September
2012 after the contract was re-tendered. A new recycling system was established in 2007 and this remained consistent
through the change of contractors, but Biffa were able to provide enhanced waste tonnage data through the
introduction of bin weighing equipment.
The recycling system comprises four swing-top units of approximately 50 litres each were installed in all pantries
across the Pollock Halls site. The units are colour-coded to represent the materials that they are intended for and
include blue for paper, yellow for glass, green for other mixed recyclables (cardboard, cans, plastic bottles) and red for
residual waste. Students are encouraged to segregate their waste into these units.
The pantry units are emptied by porters or cleaners into larger outdoor units provided by the contractor. Paper and
other dry mixed recycling are contained within separate clear plastic sacks deposited into the same outdoor unit. The
clear sacks allow the contractor to easily segregate paper from other materials at its materials recycling facility (MRF)
and consequently, the University receives an increased rebate for paper than they would if paper was co-mingled with
other materials due to its increased quality.
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Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
Glass is stored in outdoor units separate to mixed recycling and residual waste and is collected by Viridor, who are
sub-contracted by Biffa. Residual waste is collected and processed by Biffa into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) which can be
used in variety of applications to generate power and diverts this waste from landfill.
Biffa is able to provide accurate data on the tonnage of waste and recycling collected from the site and this allows the
University’s Accommodation Services Management to monitor the performance of the recycling system more closely in
terms of financial and environmental impacts which also helps to identify improvements.
The University also has a Rocket composter on the Pollock Halls site which processes cooked and uncooked food waste
from on-site catering at the John McIntyre Conference Centre (JMCC).
Units
The University chose to use 50 litre flip-lid units for the collection of recyclable materials in pantries as they were
relatively inexpensive but also easy to access for depositing and emptying materials, appropriately sized for the rooms
and were available in a variety of colours so that units for the different material streams could be colour-coded. This
system also presented a degree of flexibility as the relatively low cost of the units meant that further or different units
could be added if the level of segregation were to be expanded or changed at a later date.
The Accomodation Services team investigated purchasing purpose-built recycling units for different materials but it was
felt that the costs of installing such specialised units (approximately £86,000 to install in 200 pantries) was prohibitive,
particularly as this system would have less flexibility to accommodate future changes to the level of segregation or
range of materials collected.
Table 1 Recycling and general waste units installed within Pollock Halls of Residence pantries
Number of units
800
Type of unit
Flip-lid
Unit capacity (litres)
50 litre
Make of unit
Unknown
Cost per unit
£10 (approx.)
Waste streams segregated
Mixed glass, paper, other dry mixed recyclables (cardboard, plastic bottles,
cans) and general waste
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Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
Figure 1 Recycling units installed within Pollock Halls of Residence pantries
Types of waste segregated
The University dictated a minimum range of materials that it would like to recycle at Pollock Halls when it went out to
tender for a private collection contract in 2007. These were the material streams identified as being most prevalent in
waste from student residences and included paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans and glass.
The University also specified that paper should be segregated from other waste streams to keep it clean and dry. The
University knew that this would increase the potential value of the paper to re-processors and that the University
would potentially receive a higher rebate for this material than if it hadn’t been segregated.
The level of segregation applied to other recyclable materials was largely dictated by the collection contractor and the
arrangements they had in place to reprocess these materials.
Signage
The signage for the pantry recycling units was designed with simplicity in mind. A new set of students arrive at Pollock
Halls each year so recycling behaviours have relatively little time to embed themselves into students’ daily routines. For
that reason, the University knew that signage needs to instantly and clearly communicate what materials go in which
bin.
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Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
Signage was developed, in partnership with the collection contractor, with the overarching message that if the material
isn’t paper, glass, food or wet tissue it should be deposited in the dry mixed recycling unit. The other material streams
were felt to be specific enough for the corresponding unit to be quickly identified.
Signage was printed in A4 size and displayed in a prominent position on the wall above the units, covered by a clear
Perspex sheet for durability and to protect it from food and drink splashes.
Figure 2 Signage positioned on the wall above the recycling units in residence pantries
Collection and servicing arrangements
Pantry recycling units are emptied by porters or cleaners once a day. The materials are then taken to central waste
areas on the site and deposited into outdoor 1100 litre Taylor ‘Continental’ wheeled units.
These 1100 litre outdoor units are provided by the collection contractor and each unit is labeled with one of three
material streams it is intended for; dry mixed recycling (including paper), glass and residual waste. Paper is contained
within separate clear plastic sacks to other mixed recycling, allowing effective segregation at the contractor’s MRF
without the need for additional outdoor units in which to store paper at the Pollock Halls site and additional vehicle
journeys to separately collect it.
The contractor uplifts dry mixed recycling units five times a week and residual waste three times a week. High-capacity
units are also provided for glass and these are collected when full.
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Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
Figure 3 Outdoor high-capacity units for mixed recyclables, general waste and glass which are uplifted by the
collection contractor.
Monitoring and communication
Porters and cleaners carry out visual checks for contamination on sacks of paper and other dry mixed recycling and
any issues are reported to managerial staff or during regular team briefings.
Porters and cleaning staff at Pollock Halls were reported to demonstrate enthusiasm and support for increasing the
proportion of waste recycled and the need to monitor and report on performance in order to achieve this. This support
is demonstrated by the fact that the four-bin waste segregation system in pantries was borne out of a suggestion
made by a member of the portering staff, using their hands-on experience of the relative success of different waste
collection systems.
A range of channels are used by the University to communicate to students the need to recycle more and how they
can help. All new students who have been given a place in University accommodation are required to read an online
introduction to the accommodation, which includes a section on how to dispose of recycling and waste. Students are
required to tick boxes throughout this introduction to confirm that they understand and agree to abide by the
procedures outlined.
When students first arrive at Pollock Halls, they also attend a welcome meeting run by the house wardens. Recycling
and waste procedures are covered at these meetings. Residence Assistants (RAs), who are on hand to provide advice
and support to students in independent living, also run ‘pantry chats’ once students have had time to settle into their
accommodation. These sessions can be used as opportunities to address any issues with regard to misuse of the
recycling units.
The University website also has a sustainability area on the Accommodation Services website which outlines progress
on sustainability initiatives (including waste). A Student Sustainability Guide video was produced to encourage students
to use the appropriate recycling units in residences and this is available on the website.
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Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
Figure 4 A video clip from the University’s online Student Sustainability Guide on the Accommodation Services website
(www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/accommodation-services)
Performance and contamination
From academic years 2010-11 to 2011-12, the annual recycling rate for the Pollock Halls site increased from 32.74% to
36.85%. This calculation was based on waste volume reports issued to the Accommodation Services team by Shanks
and does not include glass recycling figures which were not available at the time of writing. Biffa won the contract for
waste collection from Pollock Halls in September 2012 and they provide monthly waste reports based on precise data
collected using unit-weighing equipment at the time of uplift. As a result of Biffa’s facility to convert non-recyclable
waste into a refuse-derived fuel (RDF), the University is able to state that 100% of waste from the Pollock Halls site is
diverted from landfill.
The most recent report at the time of writing from Biffa revealed that 50% by weight of waste from the Pollock Halls
site (including glass) was collected separately for recycling in December 2012.
Anecdotal evidence revealed that, prior to the contract changeover in September 2012, the outdoor recycling units
required an uplift three times a week and general waste units were uplifted five times a week. As of January 2013, this
frequency has been reversed, with the effect that recycling units are uplifted more frequently than general waste units.
This indicates that the proportion of waste segregated for recycling, by volume, has increased since 2011-12. The
waste collection contract is flexible in this regard, and if regular monitoring of waste data indicates that more or less
uplifts are required for a particular material, the contractor is able to alter collection arrangements to suit. A reduced
number of general waste uplifts leads directly to a cost saving for the University due to avoidance of landfill tax.
The cost of waste and recycling collections from Pollock Halls, which is charged by volume rather than weight and
includes costs for glass recycling, reduced from 2010-11 to 2011-12 by 27%. The Pollock Halls Accommodation
Manager attributed this decrease in part to the increased diversion of dry recyclables from landfill, although other
factors played a part including the introduction in 2011-12 of food waste collections from the University-managed hotel
accomodation on site (Masson House, Salisbury Green Hotel and South Hall) which diverted an additional 19% of
waste from landfill in 2011-12, to be used for electricity generation.
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Case study – University of Edinburgh: Halls of Residence recycling
It was reported that since the new four-unit waste system was installed in residence pantries, contamination of
recycling units with unacceptable materials has been low. The Accommodation Manager attributed this primarily to the
clear and simple signage that was developed to accompany the units and education programmes at welcome
meetings.
Lessons learned
The University’s Accommodation Services team found that expensive, purpose-built units are not necessarily required
for a successful recycling system in student residences, a finding that may apply to a range of other organisations with
similar domestic situations such as prisons, hostels or care homes. This approach may not, however, be appropriate in
‘public facing’ areas where a more corporate style may be required.
The units that were installed at Pollock Halls were inexpensive and easily cleaned and emptied. The small, differently
coloured units are flexible enough to adapt to any future changes to the range of materials collected or level of
segregation provided without significant capital expenditure. However, the Accommodation Services team reported
that they would be keen to invest in purpose-built units if funding became available to contribute at least 50% of
capital costs.
The use of clear plastic sacks in which to contain recyclable material has meant that cleaners and porters emptying the
pantry bins are able to quickly identify any unacceptable materials which can then be reported and fed back to the
students concerned. This feedback is crucial to minimise future contamination that may result in financial penalties
from the waste collection contractor.
The Accommodation Services Management at Pollock Halls finds that the provision of regular waste tonnage reports
from the contractor is vital to the effective management of the recycling system. Continued monitoring of this data not
only allows analysis of performance for reporting purposes but also enables adjustments in uplift frequency to be made
as the recycled fraction of waste from residences increases.
The University found that going out to tender for a private collection contract gave it the opportunity to set out its
expectations on waste collection contractors at an early stage and shape a much more bespoke recycling system that
met the specific needs of the site. When waste collection was re-tendered in 2012, service provision to Pollock Halls
was outlined as a sub-lot to the lot for the rest of the University. Tender questions were then able to be tailored to the
different waste and recycling needs of student residences. A different contractor was ultimately selected for Pollock
Halls than for the main University campus due to the fact that the tenders were scored with these different needs in
mind.
The Accommodation Manager at Pollock Halls felt that the strategy of communicating the residence recycling
procedures to students early on in their introductions to the site contributed to the success of the recycling system.
This ensures that students are aware of the recycling system before they arrive on site and awareness is maintained
throughout their stay through continued reiteration of the recycling message using signage, warden meetings and
pantry chats. This early-action, proactive approach to communications could be replicated in any organisation where
behavioural change is required, for example in including recycling procedures in new staff induction training and
running an on-going programme of communication initiatives to further embed positive behaviours into their daily
routines.
The signage used was felt to be very effective in communicating what materials go in which unit. The minimal text,
colour-coding and simple directions used by the signage were all felt to be factors in increasing the capture of
recyclable material from student residences. This strategy could also be replicated across a range of organisations
implementing behaviour change programmes.
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