Bin free, behaviour change and the business case for recycling

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Bin free, behaviour changeand the business case
for recycling

• Dr Keith Pitcher Sustainable Development Manager
• www.leeds.ac.uk/environmental

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University of Leeds

• 30,500 full-time students
• 7,700 part-time students
• 31,000 enrolled on short courses
• 8,000 staff
• 10,000 MAIN CAMPUS WASTE BINS

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Environmental Policy
We will conduct our own activities and operations
to reflect best environmental practice, implement
an environmental management system (EMS) to
pursue sustainability and continuous improvement
and seek innovative ways of meeting environmental
objectives.

• University of Leeds
• Environmental Policy March 2006.
• Our EMS
• summarises environmental performance
• sets targets and monitors improvements
• provides new programmes and financial resources
• delivers a culture that embraces environmental
  best practice and
• Waste management and recycling is a key
  objective of our EMS

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Waste management legislation targets

• Landfill tax increasing by 3/tonne per year to
  24/tonne in 2007, 8/tonne per year from 2008
  i.e. doubling over a 3 year period
• New regulations WEEE, hazardous waste,
  construction site waste management
• We will meet or better UK recycling targets
• 25 by 2005
• 40 by 2010 (was 30)
• 45 by 2015 (was 33)
• 50 by 2020

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Waste management not recycling
I was shocked and appalled by our visit to the
waste site yesterday within 5 minutes I was knee
deep in paper and books. These were not isolated
incidences but originated from across the
university community. Quote from Environmental
Co-ordinator
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Office recycling pilot

• New recycling bins installed on each floor of 5
  buildings
• glass, plastics, cans paper
• Monitoring carried out by environment team and
  Sustainability Research Institute student
• Results from pilot
• Outcome Individual office waste bins to be
  removed

Recycling rate ()
Pre scheme 24
Voluntary scheme (individual bins remain) 28
Post scheme implementation (no bins) 55-75
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Recycling facilities
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IT recycling

• Initial assessment - a bit of an underestimate!

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s
Recycling summary
Recycle 17.5 14.8 18.4 16.9 19.6 26.6 34.3 40.3
43.3
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Staff Attitudes and Opinions

• Communication with staff students the key to
  success
• Staff meetings held with all departments prior to
  scheme implementation in their building
• Short period for settling in
• A lot recycle at home, so recycling at work not a
  problem
• Fine tune where necessary
• Accept that for a small minority change is
  difficult
• Plenty of ideas to improve recycling
• Leaving office waste bins doesnt work!

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Business case key areas

• Historic quantities of waste collected
• Measured performance improvements from pilot
• Changes in costs waste collection, landfill tax
  investment
• Income/costs from recycled materials collected
• Refocus cleaning services work
• Other non financial benefits
• Publicity
• Proves we have a can do culture
• Opportunity for future benefits e.g. more that
  could be recycled

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Business case summary
Current issue on market value of recycled products
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New phases

• Waste management contract
• Composting of all food waste
• Mechanical sorting of mixed waste at MRF
• Target for 2008/9 50 recycling, with 70
  reached by the end of the year
• Site waste management plans
• Requirement for all university construction
  contracts

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Final thoughts

• Make it strategic
• Establish waste management team
• Develop business cases
• sign off at director level
• include targets, benefits and funding
• publicise progress
• Cost savings and environmental improvements can
• be achieved (brings finance into the loop)
• Consultation with staff students essential
• why and what we can do
• starts an environmental can do culture
• More information
• see www.leeds.ac.uk/environmental

The VC said The office waste recycling scheme
has already been a great success, but we need
everyone to take part if we are going to make a
real difference.