The University of Sheffield
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Recycling in the IC

Last year, recycling by this University went up by 600%. The IC played a big part in this and we would like to improve again this year. We have been awarded a grant by European Metal Recycling Ltd to buy lots more recycling bins and have positioned them in many new locations around the IC. We have also updated our signage to make it clearer what you should be recycling and where.

Recycle Bins

  Red Bins
(Cans)
 		 Blue Bins
(Paper)
 		 Yellow Bins
(Plastic Bottles)
 		 Grey Bins
(Litter)
 
Location Large bins by lifts Large bins by lifts.
Small bins in many locations around the IC
 
Yes please Drink cans – can have small amounts of liquid in them. Paper, card, magazines. Plastic bottles – can have small amounts of liquid in them. Anything contaminated with food, chewing gum, pens, tissues…
No thanks Cups, bottles, paper, glass. Cups, tissues, anything contaminated with food (eg. sandwich wrappers). Cans, glass, yogurt pots, plastic spoons, crisp packets, cups, juice cartons. Paper, card, magazines, plastic bottles, drink cans.

Why are you only recycling certain things?

We have looked at the waste produced by the IC and it mainly consists of cans, plastic bottles and paper. To keep it simple and to encourage more people to recycle, we have decided to separate those items from the general waste.

However, ALL of the University's general waste now goes to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where recyclable material is separated out and sent on to be remade into new products. This equates to around 80% of the University's general waste being recycled.
 

If the general waste gets recycled anyway, why bother?

It's more efficient to sort at the source, both in terms of the quality of the material and financially. The IC is one of the busiest places on campus and is leading the way in the University's recycling initiative.

What else does the IC do to help the environment?

  • We use recycled paper in the printers and put all the wrappers into the paper recycling bins.

     
  • We recycle used toners.

     
  • The printers are set to print double-sided by default, saving both paper and your money.

     
  • PCs switch off if no one logs on for 20 minutes.

     
  • The toilets use "grey water" (rain water) for flushing.

     
  • Motion sensors control most of the lighting in the IC.

     
  • The air conditioning adjusts itself according to the number of people in the building.

How can I help?

  • Clear away your rubbish when you leave.

     
  • Recycle where possible – and use the correct bins.

     
  • Encourage your friends to do the same.

     
  • Think before you print – in the first 2 weeks of the academic year over 225,000 sheets were printed in the IC.

     
  • When the IC is quiet, choose "shut down" rather than "log off" when you have finished using a PC.

Further Information

If you would like to find out more about the University’s environmental policies, and what happens to our waste, follow the link at the top of the page.