Sustainability News

We are delighted to have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard for Waste for the University which recognises our reduction in waste production year-on-year, and our commitment to manage waste more effectively though increased prevention, reuse or recycling. The Carbon Trust’s mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy and our waste reduction efforts are helping us pave the way towards that goal.

With support from our waste management provider Veolia, the University achieved a 15 per cent reduction in our total waste footprint between July 2017 and August 2020. This helped the University achieve the Carbon Trust Standard for Waste, and our exemplar waste management practices were awarded with a 75 per cent score in the qualitative assessment, comparing with the 60 per cent pass mark.

Last academic year the University diverted 68% of all waste produced from being sent for energy recovery as last resort, by continuing to drive waste up the waste hierarchy, ensuring emphasis on waste prevention, reuse and recycling.

The Carbon Trust assessment provides us with independent recognition of the University’s waste reduction, and waste management credentials and recognises the progress Swansea is making in applying effective governance, waste measurement and waste management processes. The certification period runs from 2020 to 2022.

Read more about our waste management efforts on our waste web pages.

#InTheLoop is a new campaign to boost the recycling of food and drinks packaging in Swansea city centre and on campus. It has been created by environmental charity Hubbub with the support of Swansea University, Swansea City Council, The Environment Centre, Keep Wales Tidy and 16 major brands and local institutions.

With busy schedules, we're eating and drinking more and more whilst on the go. With this comes a lot of packaging - we get through a whopping 13 billion plastic bottles, 9 billion drinks cans and nearly 3 billion coffee cups every year in the UK!

But lots of this packaging isn’t currently recycled. The good news is, Swansea is now #InTheLoop with recycling on the go, and we're fully supporting the campaign at Swansea University!

#InTheLoop is a new campaign to boost the recycling of food and drinks packaging in Swansea city centre and on campus. It has been created by environmental charity Hubbub with the support of Swansea University, Swansea City Council, The Environment Centre, Keep Wales Tidy and 16 major brands and local institutions.

There are now 2 new types of recycling bins across Swansea city centre and on campus:

Yellow bins for glass, plastic bottles and cans:

40 new yellow recycle bins have been installed in Swansea city centre, for recycling empty glass, plastic bottles and drinks cans.

Orange bins for coffee cups:

Coffee cups can be recycled but need their own bins. They can go in orange bins, located on the streets and shops. They can also be dropped off at any Starbucks, Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee or McDonald’s in Swansea city centre.

We’ll be hosting a number of events and workshops to support the campaign over it’s 5-month duration.

First up, ‘The Wave’ by local artist, Wren Miller, will be showcased outside Fulton House from 19^th September until 29^th September.

This sculpture is made from the same the amount of recyclable materials that are thrown away in the UK every 20 seconds! That's scary stuff. So, please, please do your bit - it couldn't be easier. Recycle on campus and when you’re out an about in the city, and help us to help the planet!

Find out more about the #InTheLoop campaign. Keep up-to-date about events and workshops.

Did you know that the University is a registered public collection point for TerraCycle?

TerraCycle provides free recycling programmes funded by brands, manufacturers and retailers to allow us to collect and recycle generally hard-to-recycle waste. Since March 2019, we have made positive steps towards decreasing the volume of waste which would previously have been disposed of as non-recycling and sent for energy recovery. Through active participation from our students, staff and the local community, we have recycled the following waste items between May 2019 and March 2020:

• Over 16,000 crisps packets
• Over 7,000 coffee pods
• Over 3,000 pens

Once collected, the items are separated by material composition, cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remoulded to make new recycled products. As a collector we earn points based on the quantity of items collected and the proceeds raised from this are donated to charitable organisations of our choice. To date, we have donated £60 to Discovery Charity, £24 to Wales Air Ambulance Charity and our collections also help to raise proceeds for local schools.

You can get involved at any time by collecting your waste and dropping it off at the designated collection points at the University. We collect writing instruments, crisps, nuts, popcorn and pretzels packets, plus Tassimo and L'OR coffee pods and packaging.  Our TerraCycle collection points can not only be used by students and staff, but also by the wider community!  

You can read more about TerraCycle including the list of accepted waste, locations and opening times of our drop-off points on our Waste webpages.

Please note that all collection points are temporarily closed due to Covid-19.

Polystyrene baler bought to recycle single use laboratory waste packaging 

In February the Sustainability Team submitted 5 proposals to the Welsh Government Circular Economy Fund. The fund was developed to support the Welsh public sector increase recycling, and intern support the development of a circular economy for Wales. Of the 5 proposals submitted, one was successful in securing financial support; 'Polystyrene Processing to Increase Recycling'. The £14,614.08 funding was utilised to purchase a new Polystyrene EPS Baler, designed to compact PS 06 polystyrene boxes primary produced by the University’s laboratories. Historically the University has been unable to recycle PS 06 waste materials, until now. A new Waste Management Guidance Note WMGN34 Laboratory Plastic Recycling EPS Polystyrene Boxes and Polypropylene boxes sets out the methodology for laboratories to follow to now recycle PS 06 and PP 05. The new baler will allow the University to increase its diversion from energy recovery, and landfill as well as push new materials up the Waste Hierarchy. 

Our Sustainability team has partnered up with Plastic Free Swansea and Swansea University Students’ Union to bring the Refill Revolution to Swansea.

• Posted by Emma Billings on 5th November 2018.

As part of our continual objective to reduce the waste generated by the University, through promoting prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery; we work with a range of local charitable organisations donating good quality, used furniture and other smaller items for reuse. Donated items result from departmental refurbishments, and relocations in addition to changes in working operations, whereby items are no longer practical nor required for the space or service.  By donating desks, chairs, pedestal drawers, filing cabinets, recycling bins and crockery to name but a few, for reuse; we are minimising our environmental impact, and reducing our combined carbon footprint, whilst also strengthening our links with schools and charities. 

Julian Kennedy, Head of Ysgol Dyffryn Taf thanked the Sustainability team for the donation of chairs, desks and bins and explained that “leaving aside the practical and financial benefits to the school, it is good to be involved in a programme which helps promote sustainability and reduces waste, whilst also helping to strengthen the links with the school and one of the potentially key destinations for our Sixth Form students.”

“The newly acquired bins have been welcomed at the school and have made such a positive difference, as previously we had to make do with cardboard bins due to a lack of funds. The pupils are enjoying using them as part of our continuous recycling process.” Mark Tribe, Caretaker at Llangyfelach Primary School.

Our furniture donations have helped Ystradgynlais Volunteer Centre to improve the recreational, educational and workshop facilities available at the centre, raise funds for its charitable operations and are provided at discount or free of charge to families in need.  "Swansea University's support to YVC also reinforces our corporate social and environmental responsibilities to our members and communities in facilitating support at the grass roots level to people who are in most need." Liz Davies, Ystradgynlais Volunteer Centre.

If you know of a charitable organisation that you think could benefit from our reuse scheme; please contact us.

Over the summer vacation, we became the first university in Wales to launch an in-house Ride Leadership Programme in partnership with Welsh Cycling.

£4000 grant awarded for development of post-industrial Wildflower Garden at Bay Campus

• Posted by Emma Billings <emma.billings@swansea.ac.uk> on 15th June 2018.

From 18^th – 29^th March 2019 the Swansea University Students' Union held the 2019 Go Green Fortnight, an annual event focussed on widening staff and students' awareness of a range of sustainability topics. Building on the continuing growth of previous years, the 2019 event was spread over a fortnight and included a wide range of events at various University sites. The Go Green Fortnight was closed with a bang with an enlightening panel discussion on a topic that has a growing groundswell of support.  

• Wednesday 20th - Singleton Beach Clean 2-4pm
• Wednesday 20th - Waste Free Wednesday 4-6pm, Fusion Café
• Friday 22nd - Make your Own Tote Bag 1-3pm, Tafarn Tawe
• Monday 25th - Make your Own Tote Bag 1-3pm, Taliesin
• Thursday 28th - Matt Pritchard: Dirty Vegan book launch 7:30-9pm Exist Skatepark
• Friday 29th - Panel Discussion: The Future of Climate Change: What strategies to take and how can I take action? 6:30-8pm

Work has already begun in planning Go Green Fortnight 2020 so if you have any ideas, want to see a particular event being hosted or want to get involved please contact the Sustainability Team.