Waste and Resource Management

We generated 917 tonnes of waste across our Mile End, Whitechapel and Charterhouse Square campuses during the 2024/25 academic year. Recyclable materials represented 46% 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.
• Food waste is collected separately and transported to a specialised anaerobic digestion facility where the food decomposes and releases methane in a sealed tank. This is captured, treated for purity and fed back into the National Grid, while the remaining material is used as high-quality fertiliser.
• 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.
• We work closely with our colleagues in the Health & Safety Directorate who are responsible for ensuring our Hazardous Waste is disposed of safely and legally. 

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

Targets: Waste and Resource Management

• Reduce operational waste generated annually to achieve an overall reduction of 10% by the end of the 2027/28 financial year against 2023/24 figures, with associated reduction in scope 3 carbon emissions.
• Achieve a minimum annual recycling rate above 50% by the end of the 2026/27 financial year for non-hazardous waste, with zero non-hazardous waste sent to landfill.
• Continue to identify opportunities to reduce single use items such as coffee cups and packaging, including via rollout of ReUser cups across all UK-based campuses, including containers, by the end of the 2027/28 financial year.