Waste and Recycling
At NTU, we are dedicated to managing waste and resources responsibly and sustainably. Our comprehensive waste system encompasses streams for general waste, dry mixed recycling (DMR), glass, food, as well as specialist categories including clinical, hazardous, WEEE, offensive, and confidential waste. We are committed to promoting circular systems wherever possible, ensuring that resources are reused and repurposed rather than wasted. By combining expertise and action in a collaborative effort across teams, we aim to create a cleaner, greener environment across our campuses.
Our mission to reduce waste
At NTU, we work hard to minimise the amount of waste we produce and ensure that we deal with any unavoidable waste appropriately.
We collaborate closely with our waste management contractors and engage with staff, students and visitors to encourage them to follow the waste hierarchy:
- Avoid – Stop waste from being created in the first place
- Reduce – Avoid using single-use items and think about procuring items that will last longer
- Reuse – Ensure every effort has been made to reuse items where possible. This may be internal to NTU or external, involving charities, community groups, and schools.
- Recycle – Utilise the wide array of recycling facilities across the Estate to ensure that resources can be recycled and transformed into more useful products rather than being wasted.
- Dispose – as a last resort! NTU’s waste is processed and used as a fossil fuel replacement via Energy from Waste (EfW) processes.
Colleagues, especially those with responsibilities for waste handling and management, are encouraged to undertake our waste-based modules on Thrive or book in-person training with the Sustainability team.
Our main waste streams
- Cardboard packaging
- Plastic bottles and lids
- Mixed paper
- Coffee cups and lids
- Clean plastic tubs, pots & trays
- Mixed glass bottles and jars
- Clean food and drinks cans.
- Raw/cooked meat
- Vegetables
- Tea bags/coffee granules
- Egg shells and bones
- Bread
- Dairy, nuts, seeds
- Wooden stirrers
- Polystyrene trays
- Crisp packets
- Paper towels and napkins
- Tetra Pak cartons
- Takeaway boxes
- Plastic bags
- Sandwich packaging
For a more comprehensive list of how to manage your waste sustainably at NTU, see our A-Z Waste Guide.
Our initiatives
Warp It
Launched in 2018, Warp It helps our staff redistribute their School or department’s unwanted furniture and equipment across campuses or to local partners. It increases resource efficiency, reduces unnecessary procurement and waste disposal costs, and has already achieved savings of £378, 717.
To date, our staff have helped to save 181 tonnes of CO2 and avoided producing 46 tonnes of waste.
If you’re a member of NTU staff, visit our Warp It portal and register now. You can choose to receive either a daily or weekly email showing what's been listed, and thanks to a helpful online guide, it's quick and easy to get started.
What's more, you don't need to be part of NTU to take advantage of Warp It:
- Involved with a local school as a parent, grandparent or governor? Register here
- Part of a local charity or community group? Register here
Uni Green Scheme
We’re excited to announce our new partnership with Uni Green Scheme, who collect, store and resell surplus high-value scientific and laboratory equipment, helping institutions free up space, generate income and meet environmental targets. Their service operates at no cost to the university, with a revenue share model and comprehensive environmental reporting, including CO₂ savings at scale.
If you have surplus lab or technical equipment to list, or wish to source equipment from Uni Green Scheme contact our waste inbox for support. Find out more about NTU's Sustainable Labs Initiative.
British Heart Foundation - Pack for Good
NTU is proud to be the founding member of the Pack for Good partnership with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Nottingham City Council and the University of Nottingham.
As part of the initiative, the NTU Community Liaison team secure and manage donation points across student living areas, including the Arboretum area and St Ann's, and across campuses by halls of residences. The scheme enables students, staff and community members to donate clothing, books and general bric a brac all year round.
In 2025, the NTU community repurposed over 10 tonnes of items through the scheme. The donations go on to raise money in BHF shops, enabling life saving research to take place and investment in Heart Start Schemes (teaching lifesaving skills in the local community and schools), Defibrillators, CPR training and retail shops.
Waste off campus
Living outside of the NTU campuses means your waste will be collected by one of a range of different contractors. However, there are several rules of thumb to sorting your waste that should be followed by all households.
- Bins can go out onto the street 4pm the day before bin day and need to be off the street by 8am the morning after. If bins are left out on the street are residents are not compliment after letters and warnings you could be liable for a fixed penalty notice under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
- Any issues or queries can usually be answered on the city council website, otherwise please get into contact with your landlord or ourselves at Communityliasion@ntu.ac.uk.
Know your bin day and bring your bin back in to avoid being fined. View and print your bin calendar here: https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/bin-and-rubbish-collections/check-my-bin-collection-day/
Recycle properly. Learn what can and cannot be recycled. Recycling will result in more manageable volumes of general waste. https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/recycleitright
Get in touch
If you need additional recycling bins in your department or have an enquiry about waste or recycling, please email the Sustainability Team via our dedicated Waste inbox.
Colleagues can also log environmental observations and make Facilities requests via the NTU Estates Helpdesk