University Waste & Recycling Briefing Note:
11-01 Clearouts & Major Moves (update)
Summary:
This document applies to all staff that will be moving and need to clearout their work space
beforehand.
The information contained applies to all work areas from offices, rest rooms, kitchen areas, cupboards,
basically any area that the Department occupies and uses. All areas should be left completely clear of
any items – including store cupboards, rooms where staff have previously left, workshops,
printer/photocopier areas, kitchens, etc. There is a separate briefing for laboratories, hazardous
stores and clinical/procedure rooms.
This briefing has been created for School Administrators, Move Managers, etc in order to plan for the
disposal element of every major move / building clearance.
This briefing has been created to help deal with the many items that need to be recycled / disposed of
before moving. This document has been broken down into manageable chunks (stages), starting with
the easiest first. Each stage is further broken down into what items are included, the collection and
uplift processes and contains occasional tips/suggestions for making the job easier.
We have suggested that for specific waste types that dedicated areas/rooms are set up to gather
together one particular waste type to ease the process.
A further clearout briefing aimed at Individuals has also been created. This document, 11-02
Individual Clearouts & Spring Cleans (update), has been designed to allow it to be personalised to
the needs of the individual group / school. For example, it is possible to specify room numbers/areas
within defined buildings and identify what waste types they will be dedicated for and how staff should
make use of them.
General Notes:
1. It is a School responsibility to ensure that all buildings/areas/rooms that they are currently
occupying are left clear, empty and safe (i.e. uncontaminated) when they depart. Estates &
Buildings (or other owners) will only be able to take possession of any areas where this has
been done satisfactorily.
2. Use the T49 Decommissioning Certificate to help ensure and clarify that the building is
completely clean and safe.
3. When clearing out NEVER remove static lighting or items fixed to walls e.g. shelves,
notice boards, etc. If such items need to be taken with you, then you must submit a
Work Order to Estates & Buildings to request that this is carried out.
The stages tackled within this document are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Paper & Cardboard
Confidential waste
Books
CDs & DVDs
Stationary
Printer Cartridges
Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
Batteries
Telephones
Furniture
Fridge & Freezers (refrigerated items)
Crockery
Glass
Stage 1: Paper & Cardboard
Includes:
Cardboard folders & their contents, reports, journals, old/used notebooks, envelopes, magazines and
catalogues ONLY.
Collection:
 Request recycling sacks from the Waste & Recycling Team [waste@ed.ac.uk or (6)50 9346]
These should be distributed to all staff with an explanation of where additional bags can be
obtained
TIP: Ensure that staff members / students know not to overfill the bags. They must be easily
liftable, with one hand, and should not split due to excess weight. Overfilled bags will normally be
left behind by waste/cleaning staff for safety reasons.

Dedicate an area or room for staff to take their extra filled bags of paper tied/flattened cardboard.

Ideally there should be an area on each floor if the department is split over several floors

Provide staff with the room number and label the area clearly:
 This will need to be done for each building.
 Below we have provided spaces for the rooms to be listed for your records only.
BUILDING: ____________________________________________________
ROOM No: ____________________________________________________
BUILDING: ____________________________________________________
ROOM No: ____________________________________________________
BUILDING: ____________________________________________________
ROOM No: ____________________________________________________

Make sure the Cleaning Supervisor of the Building is aware of this arrangement
Uplift:
 Arrange with the Cleaning Supervisor and / or Servitor to collect filled bags and flattened cardboard
from rooms for removal to the dedicated area/room

Make sure there is an understanding that you have a plan in place for occasions when
Cleaners can’t manage to uplift bags e.g. in the afternoon or on busy mornings.
 Arrange with the Waste & Recycling Team a day (or a day a week, etc) the Waste & Recycling
Assistants (WRAs) can come to remove excess from the dedicated area.
TIP: There are different routes for different folder types and the content.
Lever Arch File / Box File – bag in clear sacks and it will go into the Mixed Recycling stream
Plastic Folders – bag in black sacks as these cannot be recycled and will need to go into landfill
stream
Content of Folders – empty out of folders into clear sacks, removing any plastic pockets / dividers *
* Plastic pockets and dividers can be reused – so take them with you or place in the black sacks along with
plastic folders
Stage 2: Confidential Waste
Includes:
Confidential papers & confidential tapes, DVDs, CDs, projector slides
NOTES:
 Confidential Papers and Confidential data sources (CDs / DVDs) must be bagged separately and are
charged at a different rate.

Ensure that your bags are not overfilled and seal them with a plastic tie.
Provision of bags & uplift:
Shanks
 If you have already got an account set up directly with Shanks Waste Management, call 0800 390
000, to arrange your requirements with them.

They will supply blue bags for papers and red bags for CDs/DVDs/Tapes etc.

There needs to be 10 or more bags before Shanks can uplift your confidential waste.

On last uplift request please cancel your account, unless you wish to continue to use it once
moved to keep costs down.
University central contract (Shred-it)
 Contact Estates Waste Management (waste@ed.ac.uk) with details on number of bags required,
contact name/number and building/room address.
 Once your bags are full, contact Estates Waste Management with the following information:

eIT details (you will need to create one to cover the cost [see www.ed.ac.uk/recycling/a-z for
more information]

Number of bags, location (including room number, building name) and contact
name/number.
NOTE: You may need to dedicate a lockable room / cupboard to keep the confidential filled sacks in prior to
uplift. If you decide to do this, please let all staff know and ensure that you have a mechanism for getting the
filled bags to the secure location:
BUILDING: ____________________________________________________
ROOM No: ____________________________________________________
Stage 3: Books
This includes:
Hard back or soft back books (not journals)
Collection:
TIP: Books that are in good condition and not very old can often be reused/resold by our charity
partners. Out of date or poor condition books may need to be recycled instead.
Books for reuse:
 Contact the Waste & Recycling Team, 50 9346 / waste@ed.ac.uk, to order specific boxes to pack
the books in to
 You will need to distribute the boxes to staff.
Books for recycling:
 Bag the books in clear sacks that you use for paper recycling. You can obtain more bags from the
Waste & Recycling team.
 You will need to distribute the bags to staff.
Uplift:
Books for reuse:
 All filled boxes must be collect from the various areas and put into one location for collection

The Project/Move Manager could ask the Servitors to take the filled boxes to a dedicated
location and/or ask the Waste & Recycling Assistants for help, contact waste@ed.ac.uk or
650 9346.

The Project Manager or person in charge needs to contact the Waste & Recycling team to
arrange an uplift once ready – this can be a one-off or regular occurance.
Books for recycling:
TIP: If there is space it may be worth ordering an external container
from the Waste & Recycling Team to have on site temporarily to put
books, journals, paper and cardboard for recycling straight into.


Contact the Waste & Recycling Team to order a container
For buildings that cannot have an external container for staff to use, contact the Waste & Recycling
Team to arrange for an uplift the bags
TIP: Do not overfill the bags – make sure they are liftable with one hand and do not split due to
sharp corners. Overfilled bags may be left behind for repacking.
Stage 4: CDs and DVDs
This includes:
All CDs, DVDs and the casings
Collection:
 Box any unwanted CDs, DVDs and casings.
o When you order boxes for the move, order a few more as these can be used to box up CDs,
Tapes and casings
Uplift:
 Contact the Waste & Recycling team to get the boxes uplifted
o The individual staff members can do this, OR
o If there will be huge number of boxes have a dedicated space for staff to take the boxes too so
they aren’t tripping over them.
Stage 5: Stationary
This includes:
Stationary that has gathered over the years that you haven’t used but still works or is no longer
working
Note: Folders, both cardboard and plastic, fall under paper recycling.
Collection:
Still in good/useable condition:
 Collect in the dedicated box(s) so the Department can put in the new stationary cupboard for staff
to use in the new premises.
 Have dedicated box(s) for people to put unused or unwanted, still in working order, stationary. Tell
staff where the dedicated box(s) will be.
BUILDING: ____________________________________________________
ROOM No: ____________________________________________________

If the stationary is no longer required but is still in useable condition, then please clear bag or box
the items and contact the Waste & Recycling team, waste@ed.ac.uk or 650 9346.
Broken stationary (e.g. pens, staplers, hole punches):
 Place in black bags.
Uplift:
Still in working order:
 Contact the Waste & Recycling team, waste@ed.ac.uk or 650 9346
Broken stationary:
 Black bags should be taken to the external landfill bins
o For the odd bag the cleaners should be able to uplift and put in the external bins
o For excess bags arrange with the servitors to help or arrange a day with the Waste &
Recycling team to get them uplifted.
Stage 6: Printer cartridges
This includes:
Toner cartridges from laser printers, inkjet cartridges and toner ink are now collected for free via an
arrangement with Office Depot (Oct11).
TIP: Ask the staff member who places orders with Supplies Team to order empty cartridge boxes to
put used/no longer needed cartridges in for recycling
Note Ribbon cartridges or broken cartridges can NOT be recycled. These items must be placed into a landfill bin
within your office or work area. The landfill bins are lined with black bags.
Collection:
 Order one of the following as appropriate by emailing UKemptytoners@officedepot.com:
o 2950010 to receive a box of 10 postage paid recycling envelopes to return your empty inkjet
cartridges in.
o 2859046 to receive a box of 100 postage paid recycling envelopes to return your empty inkjet
cartridges in.
o 5006610 to receive a recycling box to return your empty toner cartridges in. To arrange a free
collection call Office Depot’s dedicated number: 01635 587 067 or email your contact details
to: UKemptytoners@officedepot.com.
Note: The boxes must be put at main reception on ground floor for the contractors to uplift.
Stage 7: Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment [WEEE]
This includes:
All I.T. equipment, desk lamps, fax machines, laminators, kettles, microwaves, cables, calculators,
memory sticks and other small electronic equipment etc.
TIP: Visit http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/estates-buildings/waste-recycling/a-z/weee to
determine if your waste is WEEE.
Collection:
 All cables, small electronic parts, small items of I.T (keyboards, mice) should be boxed
 Lamps must have the bulbs removed and bulbs boxed
TIP: Dedicate a lockable room to put all WEEE, listing it as it goes in the dedicated room (put a form
on the door for staff to fill in, including the serial number for hard drives)
Uplift:
 Complete a collection request Proforma and email it to CCL (North) Ltd, contact details on the
Proforma.
o The Proforma can be found online under the A-Z guide, Electrical & Electronic Equipment
section

CCL North will arrange a date to uplift the items.
Note 1: There is no cost to your department / unit for this service as yet.
Note 2: There is a separate route for refrigerated items and batteries see Stage 8 & 11.
Stage 8: Batteries
This includes:
Hazardous and Non-hazardous batteries
TIP: Collect all hazardous batteries first and arrange uplift straight away. Other batteries can be
collected throughout the clearout.
Collection:
Hazardous:
 Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Mercury (Hg) and Lead-Acid (Pb) are all hazardous and must be
collected and stored carefully.
Non-Hazardous:
 Collect in a box and the uplift route is the same route as WEEE, see Stage 7.
Other:
 Lithium (Li) or Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries
o Please collect in small numbers only
o Contact the Waste & Recycling team to order sealable bags to put ONLY these batteries in
o Ensure that they do not come into contact with liquid.
TIP: If you have large amount of batteries then ask the Waste & Recycling Team for a box. Nonhazardous batteries and the sealed bags can go in the box.
Uplift:
Hazardous:
 Contact Estates Waste Management (waste@ed.ac.uk) with an inventory of your hazardous
batteries to arrange for an uplift.
Non-Hazardous & Other:
 These batteries can be collected along with WEEE, see Stage 7.
Stage 9: Telephones
This includes:
Telephones supplied originally by the Telephones Service that are now
redundant to the University.
NB Phones bought by the Department can go via this route if broken
INFO: As all new buildings and refurbishments will have a new telephone installed all current telephones
used will be made redundant and cannot be taken with you and Telephone Services cannot reuse them.
Collection:
 Bag or box all telephones and put in the dedicated room along with WEEE, see Stage 7.
Uplift:
 Complete a collection request Proforma and email it to CCL (North) Ltd, contact details on the
Proforma.
o The Proforma can be found online under the A-Z guide, Electrical & Electronic Equipment
section

CCL North will arrange a date to uplift the items.
Note: There is no cost to your department / unit for this service as yet.
Stage 10: Furniture
This includes:
Desks, chairs, tables, shelving units (not wall shelves), desk and floor screens, drawer units, filing
cabinets, cupboards, bins, coat stands, etc and reproduction/antique furniture.
NB Does not include fixed items or electrical items
TIP: You must contact the Furniture Office regarding disposal of your unwanted furniture as they will
make arrangements for it to be reused elsewhere within the University, or recycled.
Collection:
 For furniture that is no longer wanted / needed please contact the Furniture Office on 650 2076 or
send a request form for an uplift:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/estates-buildings/services-sections/furniture-office
 Furniture Office staff will visit and assess the items to be removed
NB There is a separate route for metal filing cabinets, see Stage 11
TIP: Ask staff to label the furniture they are not taking with them so the Furniture Office staff know
what items they need to assess
Uplift:
 Furniture Office will arrange for items to be uplifted to be redistributed within the University where
possible or recycling
o All drawer units, cabinets etc, should be emptied before they are removed and, if available, any
keys taped inside.
NB There is a cost to the Department / Move project for the removal of unwanted furniture
Stage 11: Metal Filing Cabinets
This includes:
Metal cabinets that allow more than one drawer to be open at the one time, or broken metal cabinets.
Collection:
 Dedicate one room / area to put all of the above
o These can be gathered in the same room as Fridges / Freezers as the same contractor uplifts
these items, see Stage 12
Uplift:
 Email the Waste & Recycling team when an uplift is required
o Ideally arrange for these to be uplifted at the same time as arranging an uplift for fridges /
freezers, if there are any.
o In the email provide us with the number of cabinets, location, including room number and
contact name/number.
 There is no cost for the uplift of metal cabinets.
Stage 12: Fridges and freezers
This includes:
Unwanted / broken fridges, freezers and centrifuges (any refrigerated items).
Collection:
 Item MUST be decontaminated and all Hazard labels removed or totally defaced
 Producing Department must fully empty and clean the item prior to disposal
o Thoroughly clean the item(s) and complete the decommission checklist at the same time


Checklist can be found on our A-Z Guide on Recycling and Waste: www.ed.ac.uk/recycling
 Fax the certificate to the Waste & Recycling team or send it via internal mail
 Also attach one to the item – this shows that the item is ready for uplift.
Fridges can be left in its place so long as it is unplugged and cleaned (as per above).
Uplift:
 Producing Department must send an eIT to Waste and Recycling Team (Sophie Rippinger) to
activate collection
o The eIT must detail location of the item(s), dimensions and weight of non-standard item(s)*.
o Contact details must also be entered if different to the person raising the eIT.
TIP: *If the items are large then we tend to get the contractors to uplift from site and take all
refrigerated items, therefore send all decontamination checklists together.
If there are only small fridges/items then staff can send in the checklists when ready and the
Waste & Recycling Assistants will uplift, email waste@ed.ac.uk to arrange this.
Stage 13: Crockery
This includes:
Generally all dishes in the kitchen area
Collection:
 Box the unwanted items separately to broken items
 Mark the box “CROCKERY FOR DISPOSAL” for broken items
 Mark the box “CROCKERY FOR REUSE” for unwanted items
Uplift:
 Place boxed broken items in the external landfill container
o If you do not have one the Waste & Recycling Assistants will uplift the box(s), email
waste@ed.ac.uk to arrange
 Contact the Waste & Recycling team to arrange an uplift of the boxed reusable items
o These will be taken to charity
Stage 14: Glass
This includes:
Non-recyclable glass - laboratory ware, Pyrex and non-container glass i.e. flat glass, panes
Glass for recycling - brown, clear and green glass bottles, jars, drinking glasses
TIP: All glass must be thoroughly cleaned before disposal or recycling, to ensure no traces of the
hazardous substances are present on the glass.
Collection:
Non-recyclable glass:
 Bag and box the glass and securely tape it up
 Mark on the box “GLASS FOR DISPOSAL”
Glass for recycling:
 Place in box and fold over flaps so the glass does not fall out, it does not need to be taped
 Mark on the box “GLASS FOR RECYCLING”
Uplift:
Non-recyclable glass:
 Place in the external landfill container
o If you do not have one the Waste & Recycling Assistants will uplift the box(s), email
waste@ed.ac.uk to arrange
Glass for recycling:
 The Waste & Recycling Assistants will uplift the box(s), email waste@ed.ac.uk to arrange for this.