Recycling
Recycling correctly helps prevent garbage from polluting our land and waterways, and allows valuable materials to be used to their full extent.
Our services
The University provides the following recycling services:
- Mixed recycling (yellow)
- Organics (green)
- Paper/cardboard (blue)
- Confidential paper (orange)
- Batteries
- Mobile phones and accessories.
Specialised waste removal
Please contact us if you are not sure what to do with specific items such as:
- Medical waste
- Electrical items
- Hazardous waste
- Chemical and biological waste
Order bins for an event
To order bins for an event, clean-out or recycling station, request an Infrastructure service (waste). Available bin sizes are 60, 240 and 660 litres.
What you can do
- Read the bins signs and recycle correctly.
- Recycle paper and cardboard in the blue bin.
- Empty your under-desk paper recycling box into a large paper recycling bin.
- Tip and scrape food/liquid into a green or red bin.
- If you provide your own under-desk waste bin, empty it daily and provide the bin liner.
- If you don’t know if it can be recycled, put it in the landfill bin.
- Help educate your colleagues on what goes where.
- Contact us to request new bin stickers for your bins.
FAQs
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What happens if I put the wrong thing in the recycling bin?
Recycling bins can only tolerate a very small percentage of the wrong waste item. If a bin is badly contaminated with food waste, liquid or other non-recyclables, the entire bin will go to landfill.
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How much waste do we generate on campus?
In 2018, the University generated more than 1,650 tonnes of waste. That’s about as much as the weight of 275 African elephants. Only 35% of this was recycled.
Nationally, Australia’s waste is growing at double the rate of our population with 52 mega tonnes generated each year. That equates to around 460 kg per person, per year - about as much as a grand piano.
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How often are bins emptied?
Recycling, organics and landfill bins are emptied daily. Paper/cardboard bins are emptied as needed. Specialised waste removal services are provided on request.
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Is there recycling in labs?
There are many opportunities to recycle items in laboratories and workshops, but labs have unique waste management practices that generally require special bins.
Please do not drag office recycling bins into labs or workshops. Contact us if you would like to improve recycling practices or facilities in your lab.
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What are the benefits of communal recycling?
- Increased landfill diversion through improved recycling
- Prevention of hundreds of thousands of small plastic bin liners from going to landfill
- Increased environmental awareness
- Nicer work spaces with less clutter (i.e. bins)
- Potential for 'water-cooler’ (i.e. recycling-station) moments, leading to an improved office culture
- Recycling practices at work are aligned with those at home
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Where are all of the small waste bins?
Red landfill bins are located with recycling stations all over the campus.
Individual under-desk waste bins are only provided to staff who experience mobility issues. If you bring your own waste bin, you are responsible for emptying it and for providing the bin liner - the cleaners won't touch it.
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What happens to our waste?
The University’s mixed recycling (yellow) and paper/cardboard recycling (blue) is sorted by Integrated Waste Services in Wingfield.
The University’s organic waste (green) is recycled into valuable soil nutrients by Jeffries in Wingfield.
