UCL ESTATES AND FACILITIES DIVISION
Facilities Services
UCL Green Champions
Dear Colleague
WASTE MANAGEMENT
From June 2010, UCL Facilities Services in conjunction with our service partners Office
and General and JPA Furniture, will be launching a number of new initiatives to improve
our management and disposal of waste materials. This Newsletter will explain some of the
detail of these new initiatives and also bring you up to date with what has been achieved in
recent Months.
Who are we?
Facilities Services Waste Management Team
David M Smith
Head of Facilities Services
JPA Furniture
Ian Wright
Operations Manager
Facilities Services
Roman Vargas
Facilities Services Cleaning & Waste
Paul Monk
Hazardous Waste Technician
Office & General
Cleaning & Waste Facilities
Services Support Contractor
Mitie Environmental
Waste Advisory Manager Clinical
& Hazardous Waste
Area Supervisor
How are we doing?
UCL produces around 12 tons of waste of all types every working day, most of which has to
be removed from site within 24 hours.
The following figures are examples of what is generated for disposal each Month:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recyclable Materials
Mixed Waste
Electricals including computers
Confidential Waste
Glass
Hazardous Waste-
– 140 tons: paper, cardboard, cans, plastic
– 90 tons: polystyrene, food
– 3 tons
– 5 tons
- 1.5 tons
- 20 tons
Waste percentage Comparison Graph 08-09 to 09-10
70%
60%
Stream Uptake (%)
50%
40%
Recycled Waste 08-09
30%
Recycled Waste 09-10
Landfill Waste 08-09
20%
Landfill Waste 09-10
10%
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Overall, Facilities Services is now managing to re-use or recycle over 60% of UCL’s waste
each Month, a figure that has steadily risen over the last year as shown in the Table above.
One significant boost to our recycling has been the recent introduction of new dual
compartment external waste bins into public areas recently, which have not only made it
easier for Estate users to separate their waste but also help to improve the appearance of
the outside areas.
To help students, staff and visitors to identify which bin should be used, Facilities Services
has adopted the following symbols recommended by the Waste Resources Action
Programme WRAP:
What Happens Next?
We think the above figures are a tremendous achievement to date and show our continued
commitment to re-using and recycling as much of our waste material as is possible.
However, in conjunction with our service partners JPA and Office & General, Facilities
Services is constantly reviewing what more we can do and we will be launching the
following new initiatives at the UCL Market Place on 29 June:
Furniture – Do you need a chair, desk, pedestal or anything else for the Office? On 1 &
2 July, Facilities Services is holding an Open Day at the UCL warehouse at 140
Hampstead Road, 10 minutes walk from the main site. Come and have a look at what
used and unused furniture is available and we will deliver it for you free of charge.
Batteries – to ease compliance with the 2009 Waste Batteries & Accumulators
Regulations, Facilities Services is providing 25 brightly coloured battery bins around the
main Campus for the collection and recycling of batteries. While we plan to place these
distinctive new bins at key points around site, we would welcome your views on any
specific locations that you believe would benefit from a dedicated battery point. Please
speak to us at the UCL Market Place or contact 'facilitieshelpdesk@ucl.ac.uk'
•
Food Waste - through working with O&G and their specialist sub-contractor
Cawleys, we are now are able to collect separated food waste from the main
kitchen. In the first two Months of this operation we have diverted 0.4 tons of waste
from landfill and converted this into energy equivalent to 48 KW or boiling 45 kettles
for 1 hour!
It may be possible to extend this scheme to other areas of high food usage and if
you would like to discuss being included, please contact facilities services at
'facilitieshelpdesk@ucl.ac.uk'
•
Compost - new wooden compost bins have been introduced to enable our grounds
maintenance staff to dispose of grass cuttings, leaves and other organic wastes on
site rather than transport the material for disposal elsewhere. This time next year we
hope to have converted this Summer’s grounds waste into compost that can then be
put back into the flower beds and planters around the Campus.
Zero Landfill – all material previously collected at the Bloomsbury Campus and
disposed of through landfill will be diverted to a new energy from waste plant by January
2011.
From this date UCL will put nothing into landfill. For further information on the new
waste plant please follow the link http://www.coryenvironmental.co.uk/search/highlight.php?page=riversideresourcerecov
ery.htm&q=belvedere
Junk in the Trunk – Facilities Services is again extremely pleased to participate in the
Junk in the Trunk waste collection Project run each year by the UCLU’s Volunteering
Services Unit, which will see us assisting with the collection of unwanted material from
Halls of Residence at the end of Summer Term and its subsequent distribution to local
charities for re-use.
Ian Wright
Facilities Services