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A-Z of recycling guide
Please click on the items listed below to find out how to dispose of your waste, where your nearest facility is and what happens to the waste once it leaves the University.
Please note: All general waste skips on campus must now display the completed skip signage form.
Aerosols
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Remove nozzles and place empty cans into a green sack mixed recycling bin. | All aerosols are collected by Viridor and processed at the Mixed Recycling Facility in Hersden. |
Batteries
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Household Type (Dry-cell) Batteries Please deposit into one of the grey lidded battery collection bins. A map of locations can be found here. Please do not deposit batteries in plastic bags or other packaging. | Dry-cell batteries are collected by Batteryback for recycling. |
| Recycling | Industrial/Automotive (Wet-cell) Batteries These types of batteries must be collected by specialist contractors. Please do not place them in normal battery bins or general waste. Please email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk for advice. | Wet-cell batteries are collected by East Kent Recycling for recycling. |
Waste batteries are classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Books
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | We have partnered with the British Heart Foundation who collect books on campus. For a map of locations, please click here. Please make sure books are put into a British Heart Foundation bag, which you can get from your reception or from emailing estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk. | Books are collected by the British Heart Foundation and re-sold to raise money for the charity. |
Cardboard and Paper
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Flatten the cardboard and remove any tape, plastic wrapping or polystyrene inserts. Place in either your nearest green sack recycling bin or external recycling bins depending on size. | All cardboard is collected by Viridor and processed at the Mixed Recycling Facility in Hersden. |
CDs and DVDs
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | CDs and DVDs can be placed into one of the British Heart Foundation donation points on campus. For a map of locations, please click here. Please make sure CDs and DVDs are put into a British Heart Foundation bag, which you can get from your reception or from emailing estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk. | Collection points are emptied by the British Heart Foundation and contents re-sold to raise money for the charity. |
Chemicals and Solvents
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal | School of Physical Sciences/School of Biosciences All waste chemicals and solvents should be disposed of via Bernard Doolin in accordance with local rules. Please complete the Request for Disposal of Waste Chemicals Form and email to B.P.Doolin@kent.ac.uk | Some chemicals are recovered and reused while others undergo specialist treatment and incineration |
| Disposal | All other Schools and Departments Please email estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk |
Waste chemicals and solvents are classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Confidential Waste
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Put all the waste in a hessian (blue or white) sack and tie it firmly with a cable tie. Contact estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk for collection (think carefully about where to store it until collection). | Logistics store confidential waste in special locked wheelie bins until Viridor collect it. It's then taken in a secure lorry to their secure facility with restricted access where it is shredded and baled. |
Cooking Oil and Fat
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Waste cooking oil is collected from catering kitchens on an individual basis. Containers should be securely lidded and stored in a secure area. All collections should be accompanied by Duty of Care paperwork. All catering kitchens producing waste cooking oil must display the Cooking Oil Disposal Guidelines. | Waste cooking oil is converted to biofuel for road transport and heat and power systems. |
Electrical and IT Equipment
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Staff must download and complete the disposal form. Small and medium items such as computers will be collected by Estates staff and stored in the maintenance yard. Larger items may be collected directly by the waste contractor. | Most electrical waste is taken to SWEEEP Kusakoski in Sittingbourne where over 97% of the material is recycled. Due to data storage on desktops and laptops all materials are securely wiped before being broken down into individual materials and recycled. |
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Fluorescent Bulbs and Tubes
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | To arrange a collection please email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk | Tubes and lamps are collected by Recolight where they are recycled. |
Food Waste
We are pleased to announce that from the 10th of September we have started a 6 month food waste trial in the following buildings; Darwin, Rutherford, Eliot, Gulbenkian, Keynes and Woodys in the catering outlets. The teams will be using the food waste bins for food preperation scraps, leftovers from meals and out of date food.
All of this waste is being collected and taken to the ReFood Dagenham Anaerobic Digestion site, there is an 8 step process in which energy is captured and bio-fertiliser is produced. For more informaiton please visit: www.refood.co.uk/the-process/anaerobic-digestion/
We have also purchased a small composter on site which is located at the Kent Community Oasis Garden, for more updates on when this will be available to use please visit our Sustainability pages.
In partnership with Kent Union we have created Stuff (Student Foodbank and Freecycle) if you have any food items, kitchenware or homeware that you would like to donate to students please visit www.kentunion.co.uk/stuff for more information on donation days and restrictions on donations.
Furniture
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | Staff are required to register with the Warp It system, which is used for browsing available furniture stock and listing your unwanted furniture for others to use on campus. As of December 2022, Warp It users have saved the University over £1,000,000! |
Primarily furniture should be reused on campus between staff, however if it is in unusable condition they will be donated to charity or recycled. If you have any questions or queries please contact the Warp It team warpit@kent.ac.uk |
Glass
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Glass bottles and jars External glass bins are located across the University. A map of locations can be found here. Schools and Departments should make their own arrangements to collect bottles and deposit them in the external glass bins. Glass must not be placed in the general waste or mixed recycling bins. | All glass is collected by Viridor and processed at the Mixed Recycling Facility in Hersden. |
| Recycling | Sheet glass Contact estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk who can advise on how to dispose of this safely. Do not attempt to deal with laminated glass yourself. | Sheet glass is collected by East Kent Recycling and processed accordingly. |
.
Metal
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Metals are collected in a skip in the Estates Maintenance Yard. Please email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk for a collection. | Metals are collected by East Kent Recycling and recycled. |
Mobile Phones
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse or Recycling | Old mobile phones can be recycled alongside printer cartridges. Please email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk for a collection. | Mobile phones are sent away to charities for reuse or recycling. |
Oil
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Waste oil and items contaminated with oil should be stored in sealed containers in a secure area and collected by specialist licensed waste contractors. Please contact estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk for advice. | Waste oils are processed and recycled as fuel oils. |
Oil is classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Paint
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal | Water based paint/empty containers can be disposed in the general waste bins. Please ensure containers are sealed to eliminate the risk of spillage Any other type of paint is classed as hazardous waste and must be disposed of via a specialist contractor. These types of materials cannot be disposed of in the general waste bins or metal recycling. Please email estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk for advise. | Waste paint is disposed of in accordance with hazardous waste regulations. |
Paint is classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Printer and Toner Cartridges
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | Used printer and/or toner cartridges should be either placed in the department's cartridge recycling box or collected by Estates. Please email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk for a collection. | Used cartridges are collected by companies who pay us for the cartridges. Any money raised is donated to charity. |
Printer and Toner Cartridges are classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Stamps
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | Stamps should be cut off used envelopes. Once an envelope has been filled these should be sent to: Anna Pollard: Campaigns Manager Development Office | Used stamps are exchanged for donation to the Kent Law campaign by JetStamps. |
Sharps
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal | Staff sharps are to be taken to Campus Security which are then collected in one container on campus ready for collection | Sharps are removed from campus by a registered hazardous waste contractor who then disposes of these sharps by incineration. |
Sharps are classed as Hazardous Waste. For more information on Hazardous Waste disposal please read the Duty of Care Guidelines Including Hazardous Waste Guidelines
Other/Not Listed
Please email estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk for anything not listed.
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Aerosols
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Remove nozzles and place empty cans into a green sack mixed recycling bin. | All aerosols are collected by Viridor and processed at the Mixed Recycling Facility in Hersden. |
Batteries
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Household Type (Dry-cell) Batteries Please deposit into one of the grey lidded battery collection bins. Please do not deposit batteries in plastic bags or other packaging. A map of locations can be found here | Dry-cell batteries are collected by Batteryback for recycling. Over 55% of the gross weight of the batteries is recycled. |
Books
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | We have partnered with the British Heart Foundation who collect books on campus. For a map of locations, please click here. Please make sure books are put into a British Heart Foundation bag, which you can get from your reception or from emailing estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk | Books are collected by the British Heart Foundation and re-sold to raise money for the charity. |
Cardboard and Paper
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Flatten the cardboard and remove any tape, plastic wrapping or polystyrene inserts. Place in either your nearest green sack recycling bin or external recycling bins depending on size. | All cardboard is collected by Viridor and processed at the Mixed Recycling Facility in Hersden. |
CDs and DVDs
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | CDs and DVDs can be placed into one of the British Heart Foundation donation points on campus. For a map of locations, please click here. Please make sure they are put into a British Heart Foundation bag, which you can get from your reception or from emailing estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk |
Collection points are emptied by the British Heart Foundation and contents re-sold to raise money for the charity. |
Clothes, Shoes and Textiles
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | We have partnered with the British Heart Foundation who collect clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and textiles on campus. For a map of locations, please click here. Please make sure books are put into a British Heart Foundation bag, which you can get from your reception or from emailing estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk | Textiles are collected by the British Heart Foundation and re-sold to raise money for the charity. |
Cooking Oil and Fat
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal | Place in a container and seal tightly and dispose of in a general waste (black sack) bin. Please do not dispose of cooking oil down the sink, this can leads to blockages in the sewage system. | Waste cooking oil is sent to an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility. |
Duvets, Pillows and Bedding
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal | Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to coordinate a collection of duvets and pillows but we have been in touch with a couple of charities and hope to have collections as of next year. Do note that the British Heart Foundation cannot accept pillows or duvets; however you can place any sheets, duvet covers and pillow covers into the British Heart Foundation clothing banks. |
Donated sheets, duvet covers and pillow cases are resold by the British Heart Foundation to raise money and the duvets and pillows are currently sent to Energy from Waste (EfW) facility. |
Electrical and IT Equipment
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Please contact your college reception for advice on how to dispose of electrical waste. Do not place electrical items into general waste bins. | Most electrical waste is taken to SWEEEP Kusakoski in Sittingbourne where over 97% of the material is recycled. |
Food Waste
We are pleased to announce that from the 10th of September we have started a 6 month food waste trial in the following buildings; Darwin, Rutherford, Eliot, Gulbenkian, Keynes and Woodys in the catering outlets. The teams will be using the food waste bins for food preperation scraps, leftovers from meals and out of date food.
All of this waste is being collected and taken to the ReFood Dagenham Anaerobic Digestion site, there is an 8 step process in which energy is captured and bio-fertiliser is produced. For more informaiton please visit: www.refood.co.uk/the-process/anaerobic-digestion/
We have also purchased a small composter on site which is located at the Kent Community Oasis Garden, for more updates on when this will be available to use please visit our Sustainability pages.
In partnership with Kent Union we have created Stuff (Student Foodbank and Freecycle) if you have any food items, kitchenware or homeware that you would like to donate please visit www.kentunion.co.uk/stuff for more information on donation days, please bring along any tinned or dried food - even in half-used packets - and anything else still in date from salt, herbs and spices to tea and coffee. We will then be holding a pop up event at the start of each term for you to come and collect items! To keep up to date on pop up events, donation events and how the scheme is going please follow us on our social media pages.
If you would like to help with our food bank collections by volunteering during one of our drives please contact Kent Union on how to get involved.
Glass jars and bottles
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | External glass bins are located across the University. A map of locations can be found here. Student flats/houses should use the boxes provided to collect bottles and deposit them in the external glass bins. Glass must not be placed in the general waste or mixed recycling bins. | All glass is collected by Viridor and processed at the Mixed Recycling Facility in Hersden. |
Printer Cartridges
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse | Used printer cartridges should be placed in one of the printer cartridge collection bins placed across campus. A map of locations can be found here | Used cartridges are collected by companies who pay us for the cartridges. Any money raised is donated to charity. |
Sharps
| Reuse, Recycling or Disposal? | Procedure | What happens to the waste? |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal | Student sharps are to be taken to any accommodation reception or Campus Security which are then collected in one container on campus ready for collection. | Sharps are removed from campus by a registered hazardous waste contractor who then disposes of these sharps by incineration. |
Other/Not Listed
Please contact estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk for advice.
| Waste Stream | What can I put in? | Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed Recycling (Green Sack) | Paper, Cardboard, Cans and tins, Plastics (including food packaging), Tetra-pacs, Aerosols (empty) | All accommodation, external dual bins, catering outlets |
| General Waste (Black Sack) | Food waste, clingfilm | All accommodation, external dual bins, catering outlets |
| Glass bins | Glass bottles and jars | Across campus. A map of locations can be found here |
| Other | Contact receptions for advice | Contact receptions for advice |
Download our Waste and recycling poster and Office recycling poster.