23% reduction in sandwich packaging waste
(May 2024 – May 2025)
Where does it go next?
Your waste has a journey, you choose the destination.
As part of our sustainability pillar, we wanted to raise awareness around some of your most popular food and drink packaging and their waste journeys when recycled and disposed of correctly, versus incorrectly. Every coffee cup, bottle, and takeaway box doesn’t just disappear once you’re done with it. It goes somewhere next, and that next step is decided in a moment, at the bin. Recycle it right, and it could become something useful again. Bin it badly, and it could be lost to landfill or incineration.
Why it matters
A quick decision might not feel like much, but across campus those decisions add up.
When waste is recycled right:
- Coffee cups can be turned into new paper products (when recycled into one of our dedicated coffee cup bins)
- Plastic bottles can be recycled into new materials
- Food waste can generate renewable energy and fertiliser
When it isn’t:
- Recyclables are rejected due to contamination
- Materials are lost and non-reusable
- More emissions are created unnecessarily
Your choice at the bin directly shapes what happens next.
You’re already making a difference
Small actions across campus are already creating real impact:
- Using Too Good To Go saved 1,828 meals
(May 2025 – May 2026)
- 8% reduction in lines of single use plastics year on year
(May 2024 - May 2025)
What you can do
Making it count is simple:
- Check signage before you bin
- Keep recyclables clean and empty
- Use food waste bins for leftovers
- When in doubt, don’t contaminate recycling
Every correct choice helps turn waste into something valuable.
Your waste has a journey. You choose the destination.
Make the right choice at the bin, and make it count.