Waste Management

We generated 955 tonnes of waste across our Mile End, Whitechapel and Charterhouse Square campuses during the 2022/23 academic year. Recyclable materials represented 36% of the total general waste collected across campuses.

• Mixed recycling is taken to Bywaters Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where the different materials are separated out and baled. Read about the process here. These bales are then sent to specialised facilities where they are used to make new products.
• As QMUL is a zero waste to landfill university, non-hazardous waste (also known as general or non-recyclable waste) is taken by barge down the Thames to an energy-from-waste incinerator where it is burned to generate electricity for London homes.

Scroll down to read about our commitments or click the links to find out more about our waste management initiatives and guide to what can be recycled.

Commitments: Waste and Recycling

• We will continue to ensure that non-hazardous (general) waste generated from our main UK campuses is not disposed of in landfill.
• We will reduce the total annual operational waste produced by the university.
• We will continue to implement measures to increase the proportion of recyclable materials collected from our main UK campuses.
• We will aim to recycle at least 50% of the general waste generated from our main UK campuses by 2030.
• We will continue to identify opportunities to reduce single use items such as coffee cups and packaging.
• We will continue to promote the economic and environmental benefits of minimising waste and appropriately segregating recyclable materials from general waste across all our campuses.