Where to put your recycling and waste
Find out how best to dispose of your waste on Campus.
This information is only for waste generated on-campus. Please see the York Council Recycling Pages for more information about recycling elsewhere in the City of York.
Remember the waste hierarchy before throwing away: Reduce, reuse and recycle.
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Sustainability at York
sustainability@york.ac.uk
@UoYsustain
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The right bin for the job
So that we can recycle as much University waste as possible, it's important that you put it in the correct bin. Recycling bins use clear bin bags. General waste bins use black bin bags. If you're living on campus you'll also have a food waste bin and a glass bag in your kitchen.
If you're living in one of our colleges, the Waste and Recycling Kitchen Poster (PDF , 144kb) on your kitchen noticeboard will show you how to use each bin.
Find out more about each bin type below.
Mixed Recycling bins (with green labelling) are located in the majority of the University's buildings, as well as in the external waste compounds (for use by on-campus residents). Some areas have paper-only recycling bins as this makes collection easier.
These recycling bins are collected on a routine schedule, but if you need to arrange a large ad-hoc collection then contact the Facilities Helpdesk by e-mail on fm-helpdesk@york.ac.uk or on 01904 325555.
Using the mixed recycling bin:
- Remove all item contents and polystyrene inserts (these must be placed in the General Waste)
- Put small pieces of cardboard into the recycling bin - larger pieces should be flattened and placed next to the internal recycling bin so cleaners can remove them easily
- Rinse out any food containers before putting them into the recycling bin
- Ensure items put into mixed recycling bins are dry, do not contain liquids / food, and are uncontaminated (do not contain any non-recyclables).
College residents
Glass from College residential kitchens is recycled - all colours of glass can be recycled but not cookware (eg Pyrex). There are also green bins for glass located outside colleges which can also be used by staff.
We provide separate glass recycling facilities for campus accommodation areas.
Non-residents
We are looking into offering options for recycling glass in departments but currently glass should be placed in general waste bins, or in one of the green bins for glass which can be found outside colleges.
If your department generates large quantities of glass waste, please contact the Sustainability Manager (Mark.Clough@york.ac.uk) to discuss potential opportunities for recycling.
Please remember to empty and wash out any glass items before putting them into the glass recycling bin.
College residents
Items that can be put inside Food Waste caddies are:
- Left-over food
- Bread, meat
- Vegetable peelings
- Coffee grounds
- Tea bags
- Clear plastic bags with food in
- Packaging full with food.
The following should not be placed in Food Waste:
- Egg shells
- Empty food packaging
- Opaque plastic bags.
Non-residents
Currently food recycling is limited in non-residential areas. There should be minimal food waste generated in departmental areas, but where there are no facilities for food recycling, food should be placed in the general waste bins.
If your department is interested in instigating a food waste system for your department/area please contact our Sustainability Manager (Mark.Clough@york.ac.uk) to discuss if this can be arranged.
There are British Heart Foundation banks located at every college. This is a great way of recycling the following items:
- Accessories
- CDs
- Clothes
- DVDs
- Shoes
The general waste bins should only be used for material that can’t be recycled but doesn’t need alternative disposal (eg hazardous or electrical waste disposal). The good news is that our general waste is used to make electrical energy, but it should still be used only as a last resort.
Examples of general waste items include: polystyrene, Tetra Paks (eg fruit juice cartons), cling film, tissues, paper hand towels, egg shells and worn out carrier bags.
What to put where
Search for an item here to find out how best to dispose of it. Search 'recycle', 'reuse' or 'donate' to see what items can be recycled, reused and donated.
Item | What to do | Where to put it | Additional info |
---|---|---|---|
Aerosol cans | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Must be completely empty. Do not place in mixed recycling bins. |
Batteries | Recycle | Battery bin | Located at reception desks, see below. |
Beverage carton | Reduce | General waste bin | eg. juice cartons. |
Bubble wrap | Reduce / reuse | General waste bin | If it can no longer be re-used, it should go into the general waste. |
Butter / yoghurt pots | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Please make sure these are empty before putting into the recycling. |
Cans and tins | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Please make sure that these are clean and uncontaminated. |
CD's | Reuse / donate | British Heart Foundation bank | Banks are located at every college. |
Cellophane wrappers | Recycle | Mixed recycling | Please make sure that these are clean and uncontaminated. |
Ceramic | Reduce / reuse | General waste bin | Reuse or donate any unbroken ceramic where possible. |
Chewing gum | Reduce | General waste bin | Do not put this in the food bin. |
Clinical/medical waste | Reduce | See below | You will need to request a Clinical/medical/sharps bin, see below. |
Clothes | Reuse / donate | British Heart Foundation bank | Banks are located at every college. |
Coffee cups | Recycle | Cofee cup bin | Look out for our special coffee cup shaped bins! Why not buy a YorCup to be more sustainable and save money too? |
Confidential waste | Reduce | Confidential waste bag | It is important these are disposed of in the correct manner for data protection, see below. |
Cooking oils | Reduce | See below | Large volumes of cooking oil should not be used due to fire risk, see below. |
Crisp packets | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | |
DVDs | Reuse / donate | British Heart Foundation bank | Banks are located at every college. |
Egg shells | Reduce | General waste bin | These cannot be put into the food bin and should go in the general waste. |
Electrical waste (WEEE) | Electrical waste | See below | Must be disposed of separately from other waste, see below. |
Envelopes | Reuse / recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Envelopes with or without windows can both be recycled. |
Foil - aluminium / tin | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Please make sure that foil is clean and uncontaminated. |
Food waste | Recycle | Food waste bin (if available) | Place all food without packaging in the nearest food compost bin, excluding egg shells and chewing gum. |
Folders/files/ plastic wallets | Reduce / reuse | General waste | Where possible please reuse these items. Throwing away is a last resort. |
Furniture | Reuse | See below | See below for ways to get the most out of and get rid of unwanted furniture. |
Glass | Reuse / recycle | Glass bin (if available) | If no glass bin available, put in a general waste bin. All colours of glass can be recycled, but not pyrex. |
Hard plastics | Reduce / reuse | General waste | Hard plastics cannot be recycled, check the label and reuse where possible. |
Metal | Recycle | See below | Depending on the quantity of metal, we may need to collect separately, see below. |
Padded envelope / jiffy bag | Reduce / reuse | General waste bin | Where possible please reuse these items. Throwing away is a last resort. |
Paper/carboard/junk mail | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | |
Paper hand towels | Reduce | General waste bin | |
Plastic bottles | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Please make sure you have rinsed these out. |
Printer and toner cartridges | Reduce / recycle | See below | These will need to be collected separately for off site recycling, see below. |
Polystrene packaging | Reduce | General waste bin | |
Post it notes | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | |
Sandwich boxes | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Please make sure these are uncontaminated before putting in the recycling. |
Sweet wrappers | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | Please make sure that these are clean and uncontaminated. |
Tetra packs | Reduce | General waste bin | |
Textiles | Reduce / reuse | General waste bin | Reuse where possible. Donate clothes to a British Heart foundation bank, located at every college. |
Toilet / kitchen roll inserts | Recycle | Mixed recycling bin | |
Toothpaste tubes | Reduce | General waste bin | |
Toys and accessories | Reuse / donate | British Heart Foundation bank | Working toys, accessories and other useful items can be donated. Banks are located at every college. |
Wood | Recycle | See below | Depending on the quantity of wood, we may need to collect separately, see below. |
Wooden pallets | Reuse / recycle | See below | All pallets should be returned to the supplier to remove from campus wherever possible, see below. |
Domestic disposable batteries should be placed in the battery bins located at reception desks.
Any attached wires should be removed to avoid creating a fire hazard. Batteries must never be placed in mixed recycling or general waste due to their hazardous nature.
Industrial batteries should be disposed of through the Facilities Helpdesk
(Tel: 5555 or email:fm-helpdesk@york.ac.uk).
If you need to dispose of clinical and medical waste (eg catheter bags, sharps) please email accommodation@york.ac.uk or disabilityservices@york.ac.uk to request a suitable bin.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Self-catheterisation bags
- Sharps boxes
Confidential waste is any material that contains sensitive personal or business data that requires secure destruction to ensure that the contents remain private ( eg to comply with data protection legislation or to maintain confidentiality).
Contact the Facilities Help Desk to order a confidential waste bag. Once it’s two-thirds full, please request collection via Planon or the Facilities Helpdesk (Tel: 5555 or email:fm-helpdesk@york.ac.uk). The contents are then securely shredded off site.
Media collection can also be requested through the Facilities Helpdesk including CDs, DVDs and tapes containing sensitive information. Please place these in the same type of confidential bag, but make a comment in the request stating the contents and mark "Digital Media" on the outside of the bag prior to collection.
If you shred your own paper, please put your shredded waste in a clear bag and place it in an external mixed recycling bin. Please leave the shredded waste in the clear bag so that it does not escape when the external bin is emptied.
It is your responsibility to keep your data and information secure, so please ensure these are stored securely inside prior to collection.
Electrical and Electronic Equipment is covered by the WEEE regulations and items must be disposed of separately from other waste. DO NOT place this type of item in the general waste.
The general rule is if a piece of equipment has a plug on it, then it must be disposed of as electrical waste. This includes: PCs, IT equipment, fans, microwaves, fridge/freezers and TVs.
If you are a student:
Take your waste electrical or IT equipment to your college reception desk and hand it over to the Receptionist, who will arrange for it to be disposed of appropriately.
If you are a member of staff / department
Electrical waste - IT equipment
IT Services, Estates and WasteCare work together to provide an IT equipment disposal service.
The external contractor the University use for recycling IT equipment wipes data from all equipment before reuse, however we advise that you delete any highly-confidential data before the hardware is collected, as the equipment is not securely transported or stored until it reaches the external contractor. If you'd like us to remove the data before it is collected, please contact IT Support.
Departments who need to dispose of IT waste such as PCs, monitors, associated peripherals, scanners, printers and servers should follow the steps below.
Small collections (fewer than 15 large items):
-
Prepare your items for collection:
-
Please box up any keyboards/mouse/mouse pads etc
-
Non-confidential data does NOT need to be deleted beforehand, as WasteCare use data wiping software to make a unit safe but re-usable. Using a degausser destroys the hard drive, and equipment would only be suitable for scrap at that point. If you need help to remove confidential data before it goes to WasteCare, please contact IT Support
-
-
Use Helpdesk to request a collection:
-
Add the contact name, telephone number, room location and number of items.
Estates and Campus Services (DECS) will collect your equipment. The items will then be stored by IT Services until Wastecare make their fortnightly collection.
Larger collections (15 or more large items, such as bulk PC replacements, or very karge items eg server cabinets):
Email itsupport@york.ac.uk with the details, including contact name, telephone number, room location and number of items.
The Desktop & Printing Services team within IT Services will get in touch with you to arrange disposal.
Electrical Waste - Other Non-IT Electrical Waste
Contact Facilities Helpdesk for collection (Tel: 5555 or email:fm-helpdesk@york.ac.uk). As a general rule, if a piece of equipment has a plug on it then it must be disposed of as electrical waste and not put in the general waste
HP toners
Bulk boxes can be obtained for recycling used Hewlett Packard (HP) consumables e.g. toner cartridges, fuser units and drums. Departments with York Print Plus (YPP) will be provided with the boxes on set up. To arrange for box provision, collections and replacement boxes, you or your department's York Print Plus SuperUser(s) should register with HP Planet Partners and arrange collections with them:
Non-HP toners
Staff and students can use the Facilities Helpdesk to arrange collection of non-HP cartridges for off-site recycling.
Wood and metal
Bulky items or large quantities of waste wood and metal can be collected from departments for recycling. Contact the Facilities Helpdesk to arrange this. Wooden pallets
All pallets should be returned to the supplier to remove from campus wherever possible. If that’s not an option, contact the Facilities Helpdesk who can arrange collection of natural wooden pallets.
If you have coloured delivery pallets, these are owned by the companies that make them, and they will collect them for reuse as follows:
Red pallets: LPR (www.lpr.eu/en/Request-for-collection)
Blue pallets: CHEP (www.chep.com/requestpickup)
Brown pallets: IPP (www.poolingpartners.com/en-gb/pooling-services/ipp-logipal-pool).
If you have office furniture you no longer need, please send an email around your department to see if anyone else can make use of it. If it cannot be re-used within your department, it can be advertised on the University's furniture re-use scheme, WarpIt. Please note, this is for staff only.
As a last resort a request can be made to the Facilities Helpdesk to have it collected, and it will then be disposed of offside, either through reuse, recycling, or disposal. If you need to arrange the transfer or disposal of furniture contact the Facilities Helpdesk (Tel: 5555 or email:fm-helpdesk@york.ac.uk).
If you have any other unwanted items that aren’t listed here and can’t be disposed of in the normal recycling or waste facilities (eg because they’re too large) please contact the Facilities Helpdesk.
This will ensure that the waste is effectively disposed of in a manner that is sustainable and safe for yourselves and the individuals that handle the waste from the bins.
If in doubt ask before throwing waste items away!
Reduce
Do you really need to buy it? Save unnecessary waste and save yourself money too!
Reuse
Before throwing something in the bin, think whether you can use it for another purpose!
Recycle
Recycle as much as possible after reducing and reusing!
Contact us
Sustainability at York
sustainability@york.ac.uk
@UoYsustain
Find us on Facebook