Better Recycling - Less Waste
Your Sustainable Campus Initiative
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Why change the way we manage waste?
Why have individual desk bins been removed?
What if I don’t have time to take my waste and recycling to the bins?
Can I keep my own bin?
What will happen to the old individual desk bins?
Can I have my own paper recycling box?
Where are the recycling stations located?
When will the new system be rolled out to my building?
What arrangements can be made for staff with mobility issues?
How often will the bins in the recycling stations get emptied?
Will cleaners still clean around desks and work areas?
What if the bins in the recycling stations get too full?
What if people in my office don’t take their rubbish and recycling to the bins?
Can take away hot drink / coffee cups be recycled?
Can I put paper in the yellow recycling bin?
Can I put tissues and wet paper towels in the yellow recycling bin?
Why are plastic bags not allowed in the mixed recycling?
Can plastic bags be recycled?
Can we recycle food waste?
Can we recycle polystyrene and Styrofoam?
How clean do recyclable containers need to be?
Can I throw away batteries in the general waste?
What happens to the waste and recycling collected? Where does it go?
If your questions are not answered here or on the main recycling page, please direct additional questions to
the CIS Sustainability team at [email protected].
CRICOS 00026A
Why change the way we manage waste?
The University is committed to implementing
sustainable environmental practices across our
campuses.
Currently our general waste from the
Camperdown/Darlington campus is transported to a
centralised waste sorting facility where recyclable
materials are separated from general waste by
hand and by machine. However, the amount and
quality of recyclables recovered from general waste
is diminished because of contamination by food
waste and plastic bags.
By using dedicated recycling bins and the central
waste collection system, the University plans to target
recycling rates over 80%. Changing to central waste
and recycling collection and removing individual desk
bins will help save approximately 500,000 plastic
bin liners every year! It will also encourage staff and
students to separate their recyclables from waste, just
like we do at home. Ultimately, this change will be
better for our environment.
Why have individual desk bins been removed?
A waste investigation conducted on campus in
2014 showed that over 60% of the waste collected
in offices bins comprised of recyclable material,
including 16% paper that should have been placed
in the dedicated the blue paper recycling bins.
By removing individual desk bins, we avoid the
temptation to throw everything into one bin, and we
encourage our community of staff and students to
separate their recyclables by providing recycling
stations. Removing individual desk bins will also save
an estimated 500,000 plastic bin liners a year which
is a mountain of plastic.
Many of our peer Universities have reported
increases in their paper recycling rates once they
have switched to central waste collection and
removed individual desk bins. Central waste
collection also improves efficiencies by reducing
cleaning times and costs.
For more information
Your Sustainable Campus| Engineering & Sustainability
W sydney.edu.au/recycle
E [email protected]
CRICOS 00026A
What if I don’t have time to take my waste and
recycling to the bins?
Taking your waste to the recycling stations can be
easily incorporated into your everyday routine so
it doesn’t take up extra time. You can dispose of
your recycling and garbage when you:
Make your tea or coffee
Place or collect your lunch from the fridge
Have toilet/bathroom break
Need to take a little break away from your work
Leave the office at the end of the day; (Hey! also
remember to switch off your compute to reduce our
energy bills and carbon emissions!.
Remember, at home we don’t have bins next to our
couch or dining table, so getting up to take our waste
to a bin and separating your recycling is what most
of us do at home anyway
Give your eyes a rest and take an occasional a
break from your desk, it’s good for you. Healthy
Sydney University and Safety Health and Wellbeing
strongly support this initiative as it encourages staff
and students to take necessary micro-breaks from
their desk. Staff should take breaks from their desk
every thirty minutes to reduce eye strain and muscle
tension.
Can I keep my own bin?
Sorry, but no. All individual desk bins will need to be
removed when the new system is rolled out in your
building. You might like to take your own bin home
with you before the new system is rolled out to your
area.
Advice on dates when the new recycling stations will
be deployed will be sent out prior to the roll out so
you can make the necessary arrangements. Individual
bins that remain when the new system becomes
operational will be removed.
Any personal desk bins will no longer be serviced or
cleaned and there will be no alternative system in
place to ensure individual staff remember to
empty their bin each day. This is to ensure that our
workplace remains clean, healthy and safe and to
reduce the possibility of bins containing waste
creating unpleasant odours and attracting pests like
fruit flies and cockroaches.
Can I have my own paper recycling box?
Paper recycling floor boxes made of cardboard will
be made available upon request for any work areas
that aren’t close to a blue paper recycling bin.
Typically, these floor boxes can be used for
individual desks or preferably shared among a few
desks in open-plan work areas. Cleaners do not
empty the paper recycling boxes so staff will need
to empty these when full into the blue paper wheelie
bins. To order one for your area, please lodge a
request through Campus Assist.
Where are the recycling stations located?
The recycling stations will be located in all offices,
kitchens, dining areas, teaching spaces, student
common areas and learning hubs. They will also be
located outside lecture theatres, tutorial rooms and
labs. All faculties are consulted about the locations of
the recycling stations before deployment to make
sure they are in convenient locations.
When will the new system be rolled out to my
building?
The new waste and recycling system will be rolled
out progressively across all campuses from
September 2015 onwards. Key dates will be
confirmed by your building or faculty managers prior
to implementation.
What arrangements can be made for staff with
mobility issues?
We ask that you support your colleagues who may
have mobility issues by:
making sure the waste and recycling bins are placed
in a location that is easy to access, with a clear path
of travel for wheelchairs or other mobility devices
(e.g. not on a bench-top or high shelf).
For more information
Your Sustainable Campus| Engineering & Sustainability
W sydney.edu.au/recycle
E [email protected]
CRICOS 00026A
Offering to take staff who are visually impaired on
an office tour that includes a stop at the recycling
station. Consult staff with disabilities on your team
about where to place the recycling stations and/or
get feedback on how the new recycling system is
working for them.
For additional information about meeting the needs
of staff with disabilities please contact Staff
Accessibility Support (Ph 9036 4751)
For Students, please contact the University’s Disability
Services.
How often will the bins in the recycling stations
get emptied?
The red general waste bin and the yellow recycling
bin will be emptied 1-2 times a day depending upon
the volume of waste and recyclables produced.
What if the bins in the recycling stations get too
full?
If the general waste or recycling bin in your office
area is regularly getting too full please log a service
request with Campus Assist by creating a ‘Service
Request’ and selecting ‘Waste Removal’ as the
problem type, or you can contact Facilities
Management Services at CIS and we can work out
the best solution for your area.
Will cleaners still clean around desks and work
areas?
Cleaners will still continue to perform normal cleaning
activities of all office areas including vacuuming.
What if people don’t take their rubbish and
recycling to the bins?
If you are finding that rubbish and recycling is
frequently being left on desks and not taken to the
bins please email the CIS Sustainability team at:
[email protected]
We can help organise some friendly reminders for
staff and provide a quick waste and recycling talk at
your next team meeting.
Can takeaway hot drink / coffee cups be recycled?
Most take- away paper-based coffee cups can now
be recycled in the yellow recycling bins around
campus except for Styrofoam cups which need to be
deposited in the red general waste bins. However,
please do not put disposable cups in the blue paper
recycling bin even if they have a cardboard or
paper outer shell., They must be deposited go in the
yellow recycling bin because most take away cups
have a plastic lining to prevent coffee leaching.
Plastic lids with the recycling symbol 1-8 can also be
recycled in the mixed yellow recycling bin.
Did you know that an estimated 1 million coffee cups
go to landfill every minute? Help the environment by
using a reusable mug or Keep cup. Some coffee
shops around the campus give you a discount for
bringing in your own mug.
Can I put paper in the yellow recycling bin?
All clean office paper and cardboard should go in
the blue paper recycling wheelie bin, as this helps
retain the value and quality of used paper. Clean
office paper can be recycled up to 9 times over.
Only paper and cardboard soiled by food or liquids
(such as pizza boxes) should be deposited in the
yellow bin because it will be recycled into lower
grade paper products like toilet tissue.
Can I put tissues and wet paper hand towels in the
yellow recycling bin?
Yes, wet paper hand towels and used tissues can be
placed in the yellow recycling bin.
Why are plastic bags not allowed in the mixed
recycling?
Recycling facilities do not like plastic bags because
the first level of sorting is done by hand.
Workers sort through tonnes of materials an hour and
it is too time consuming to open bags to sort out
recyclable materials. It can be dangerous as bags
could contain dirty materials or medical equipment so
plastic bags are rejected and dumped in landfill.
For more information
Your Sustainable Campus| Engineering & Sustainability
W sydney.edu.au/recycle
E [email protected]
CRICOS 00026A
Plastic bags can also get caught in the conveyor belts
and jam spinning wheels which can grind the entire
sorting plant to a halt. Do not wrap or place
recyclable material in plastic bags. So please empty
loose recyclable materials into the yellow recycling
bin and place any plastic bags in the red general
waste bin.
Can plastic bags be recycled?
Plastic bags can be recycled but not in the
University’s yellow recycling bins, they need to go to
a specific plastic bag recycling facility. You can drop
off plastic bags at specially marked recycling bins at
the front of most supermarkets, click on link to find a
recycling place near you
Can we recycle food waste?
Currently the University does not have an organic /
food waste recycling contract. Food waste must be
disposed of in the red general waste bins. Please
place all empty recyclable food containers in the
yellow recycling bin.
Can we recycle polystyrene?
Polystyrene foam must be disposed of in the red
general waste bins. Polystyrene foam materials need
to go to a specific polystyrene recycling facility.
Find a polystyrene recycling facility near you.
Help the environment by using alternative packaging
that is easily recyclable like a reusable mug or Keep
cup.
How clean do recyclable containers need to be?
A small amount of food left in the container is
acceptable. Please empty any solid food scraps into
the red general waste bin, pour out any liquids from
bottles and cups and then put the recyclable
containers into the yellow recycling bin..
Can I throw batteries in the red general waste bin?
No, batteries contain toxic heavy metals and
chemicals which can leach into the soil and
groundwater at the landfill site. Please drop off old
batteries at the battery recycling bins.
Better still – use rechargeable batteries.
What happens to the waste and recycling
collected?
The University of Sydney uses a number of different
resource recovery services to recycle as much as
possible, including:
• Clean paper and cardboard goes to VISY
Material Recovery Facility
• Mixed recyclables (including plastic bottles and
containers, metal cans, glass) goes to SITA
• Electronic waste goes to Reverse E-waste
• Batteries and Hazardous waste goes to Tox Free
For more information
Your Sustainable Campus| Engineering & Sustainability
W sydney.edu.au/recycle
E [email protected]
CRICOS 00026A