University vows to support new West Sussex recycling project

Students from across West Sussex have joined a new green initiative to boost recycling across the county.

The project from West Sussex Waste Partnership, which is supported by the University of Chichester, provides initiatives and activities to encourage recycling.

A series of events have been taking place including a clothes swap, improved recycling collections, a film night, and regular waste prevention information stalls across campus.

Mark Barlow, who leads the University’s green agenda, said “The University is working with the West Sussex Waste Partnership to both reduce waste and increase recycling across our student and staff community. We view this as a key goal of our sustainability strategy and helping our students to understand what can be recycled is crucial to our joint success.”

The partnership comprises West Sussex County Council and all of the district and borough councils. It is working with the University and Chichester College Group to improve recycling rates in students and staff, and so far has:

• Introduced separate food waste collections for all canteen areas, University coffee shops and Chichester College catering school. This has led to a reduction in waste and an increase in recycling.
• Updated recycling information across campus.
• Introduced separate battery recycling points for all establishments involved in the project.
• Arranged textile and small electrical collections for University students by Chichester District Council at key dates throughout the academic year.
• Removed classroom bins which have been replaced with recycling and waste bins in corridors to encourage all staff and students to think before they throw an item away.

Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “The Higher Education Recycling Project is designed to reduce waste and encourage students to recycle more in their daily lives, both in their place of study and at home. The project is also working with staff, contractors, and university landlords to make sure information about how best to recycle is heard as widely as possible.”

Read more about the initiative at www.westsussex.gov.uk/recycling.