Resource Use, Recycling and Waste

The University’s Environment and Energy Policy (issued in June 2025) includes an overarching commitment to "ensure our waste is carefully managed to minimise the impact on the environment and ensure, as a minimum, statutory obligations are met" and to "promote and facilitate waste segregation and encourage the consideration of the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose); diverting waste away from landfill where possible" (see sections 14-16). It also includes a commitment to "promote sustainable resource management practices and support the purchase of products and services that support our environmental sustainability goals; and to ensure that sustainability and responsible procurement is an embedded part of the University’s end to end procurement process" (see sections 26-27). This is the basis of our waste disposal landfill policy and planning.

To deliver those Policy commitments, we have a proactive Waste & Resource Use Strategy 2021-30 (updated and re-issued in October 2024) that includes our targets, objectives and plans for improving our waste disposal processes, increasing recycling rates, reducing waste sent to landfill, and setting out how we target the use minimisation of disposable items such as single-use plastics. The Strategy gives details of how we measure the amount of waste sent to landfill and recycled (see pages 5-6). Waste management data is published annually in our publicly available Environmental Sustainability Report (see section 8), and through the HESA Estates Management Record.

All of the University's hospitality, catering, events and food services are managed by an internal department - we do not directly outsource any of these - so we control our activities and supply chain in accordance with the Waste & Resource Strategy and the Sustainable Food Policy & Framework, which includes tackling food waste and imposing a disposable cup tax to reduce single-use items. Our Procurement Policy sets out sustainability considerations that are integral to all purchasing decisions and extend to outsourced services and the supply chain, including "engaging suppliers to commit to the University's Supplier Code of Conduct and Sustainability Policies" and "promoting sustainability improvements throughout the supply chain " (see appendix 5). Our Responsible Procurement Goals include a focus on calculating scope 3 emissions, improving circular economy practices, and increasing social value. The Supplier Code of Conduct includes social, environmental and ethical compliance requirements.