Waste A-Z Directory

Aerosols

Cans that contain or have contained hazardous materials (such as paints, adhesives, insecticides) must be treated as hazardous waste and collected separately. Contact Sustainable Campus for assistance.

You can place non-hazardous aerosols in the can recycling bins around the campus.

Aluminium cans

You can place these items in the can recycling bins across the campus.

Aluminium foil

You can put aluminium foil (clean foil only) in any of the can recycling bins around campus.

Asbestos

The University has an Asbestos Management Policy and a Compliance Manager. If you suspect that a piece of equipment contains asbestos and you wish to dispose of it, contact the Estates and Facilities Helpdesk.

Batteries

Do not place batteries in the non-recyclable waste or recycling. Please look at the Battery Disposal - User Guidance to find out how to dispose of your batteries.

You should put domestic type portable batteries (e.g. AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V) in the specific battery bins located at reception desks. If you cannot find your nearest battery recycling bin, contact Sustainable Campus. We will direct you to the nearest bin, or install a new bin in your building for everyone to use.

Do not put industrial or large batteries (e.g. from mobile phones or laptops, or lithium or lead acid batteries) in or around these bins. To dispose of these batteries, a porter request should be raised through Planon. For further information and details on how to raise the appropriate Planon request, consult the above Battery Disposal - User Guidance or email Sustainable Campus.

Bicycles

If you have a bike you don’t want or need anymore, try to find a new owner.

If you would like to donate your bike to a local charity, contact Recyke y’Bike or WATBike. Both are fantastic charities that take second hand bikes, fix them up or strip them for reuse or spares, and then sell them on to fund charitable objectives.

Biological waste

You must observe procedures for the safe handling and disposal of biohazardous material. If you need advice, contact the Occupational Health Safety Office who will be able to assist you in identifying adequate containment and onsite treatment.

If you need help with disposal, contact Sustainable Campus.

Black plastics

All black plastics should be placed in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Books

On occasions, you may need to dispose of large numbers of books or journals, particularly when moving buildings. We can assist in this, as we have a book bank on campus in our waste yard.

If you have a few boxes of books to collect, submit a Planon job. If you have a large number of books to dispose of, contact Sustainable Campus and we will assess the best way to send these for reuse or recycling.

Bottles

Plastic bottles, including drinks bottles, milk bottles and clean uncontaminated lab bottles, can be placed in the plastic recycling bins.

Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap should be placed in non-recyclable waste bins.

Cans

Put empty cans of pop or food in the can recycling bins across the campus. Wash your food tins to prevent smells and pest issues.

Cardboard

Staff can recycle cardboard in every building on campus. Please flatten any cardboard boxes:

• if you only have a few boxes, leave them next to the paper bins for the cleaning teams to remove
• if you have a larger number of boxes, flatten them and take them to the external cardboard bin located at each building

Where possible, especially when buying from a regular supplier, request that they take packaging away with them so it can be re-used. This reduces the amount of waste the University produces, saving money. It will also encourage suppliers to reduce the amount of packaging they use.

Carrier bags

Place these in the general, non-recyclable waste bins on campus.

However, there are carrier bag recycling points in the large stores of main supermarket chains in Newcastle.

CDs and DVDs

If your CDs or DVDs contain any confidential or sensitive information, see our advice about disposing of Non-paper Confidential Waste (University login required).

You can dispose of old, broken or unwanted CDs and DVDs which don't contain sensitive information in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Chemicals

Chemical waste is a common form of hazardous waste produced on campus. This covers all unwanted chemicals remaining after the completion of a set of experiments, the departure of a member of staff, or chemicals no longer required when a Department is relocated.

Before disposing of chemicals, check to see if they can be reused by another department in the University.

Disposal must take place at the earliest opportunity. Chemicals left to accumulate in hidden areas can present dangers and difficulties years later!

Please contact your local Technical Manager who will be able to assist you in the disposal of chemical waste. If you need further help, contact Sustainable Campus.

Chemicals and chemical waste: storage

Storage and disposal of chemicals and chemical waste is controlled by various pieces of legislation, including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Human Health (COSHH) Regulations (2002).

This regulation requires that a COSHH risk assessment is carried out before possession or use of any hazardous chemicals. More information on Newcastle University's COSHH Management Standard and COSHH Risk Assessments is on the Safety Office webpages (under 'Chemical Safety').

The regulations also requires that people liable to be exposed to chemicals that may be a risk to human health are provided with suitable and enough information through access to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and Risk Assessments. This includes staff and students working with the chemical or in the areas where they are being used or stored.

It is important that this information is available to ensure that appropriate action (based on the hazardous properties of the chemical) can be taken in the event of a spill.

It is important to also ensure that suitable spill kits are available in the areas where chemicals are being used as well as the areas where they are being stored so they can be quickly accessed in the event of a spill.

Cling film

Put all cling film in the non-recyclable waste bin.

Clinical waste

Procedures for the safe handling and disposal of clinical waste must be observed. If you need advice on this, contact the Occupational Health Safety Office who will be able to assist you in identifying adequate containment and onsite treatment.

Clinical waste should only be disposed of via the external (yellow) clinical waste bins. Bins should be locked at all times when not in use. Chemicals should be disposed of via the Labwaste service.

Coffee cups

Coffee cups cannot currently be recycled on campus. You should put them in the non-recyclable waste.

You can put plastic lids in the plastic recycling bins.

Reduce your coffee cup use by using reusable cups wherever possible.

Cold packs

The best option is to reuse these wherever possible. Alternatively engage with the supplier to see if they offer some form of ‘take back’ scheme - many suppliers are beginning to offer these for different types of packaging but these schemes are very much in their infancy. If the packs need to be disposed of they should go in the general waste bins.

Of course, if it is contaminated with hazardous, biological or chemical substances be sure to dispose of it using the appropriate disposal route.

Clothing and textiles

Unbranded (i.e. doesn’t have a University logo) and serviceable textiles can be placed in the British Heart Foundation collection points on campus. The main location is to the side of the Students' Union, next to the Student Forum (the statues of heads). You can also take old reusable clothing to local charity shops to be resold.

Compostable cups, plates, and cutlery

The University does not have an outlet for compostable materials. They are very hard to compost and must be treated in industrial composters which we do not have a lot of in the UK.

Please place them in the non-recyclable waste bins.

These items must not be placed in the food waste bins as they are not compatible with the anaerobic digestion process.

Computers and equipment

See our guidance about disposal of electrical equipment.

Confidential paper

Confidential paper records can range from examination papers and scripts to personnel records.

Find out more about disposing of confidential waste (University login required), including non-paper confidential waste (CDs, floppy discs, etc.).

Crisp packets

Crisp packets are made from a combination of foil and plastic. It is incredibly hard to recycle them.

Please use non-recyclable waste bins for crisp packets.

Dead animals

If you are unfortunate enough to find one, contact Sustainable Campus or Estates & Facilities, and we will arrange to have it removed safely.

Electrical and electronic equipment

Anything that has a plug, uses batteries or needs charging is known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and should not be put in the bin when broken or no longer wanted.

These types of items often have the WEEE logo on them, which appears as a wheelie bin with a large X drawn over it.

Old electronics contain toxic substances that pose a significant risk to human health and the environment. If they are disposed of incorrectly and end up in landfill, these chemicals leach into the ground and can be transported far from their sources where they persist in the environment causing long term damage.

There have also been increasing numbers of fires starting in waste transfer stations after batteries have been disposed of incorrectly, become damaged and leaked their hazardous contents into the highly combustible waste pile. These things not only endanger the environment but also the lives and health of those working on or living near these sites.

For more information on how to dispose of batteries, see the ‘Batteries’ heading in this list.

Aside from environmental arguments, many old IT items contain personal and business information we want to keep safe, so we need to dispose of these items correctly to ensure this data is not inadvertently leaked.

For more information on how to dispose of WEEE, see our additional guidance here (University login required).

Envelopes

Envelopes can be reused if they're in good condition. If they are paper, put them in paper waste bins for recycling. You can also put envelopes with small windows in the paper recycling bins.

Padded envelopes are made from a combination of plastic and paper and are difficult to recycle. Put padded envelopes in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Face covering

For face coverings, gloves and wipes used for the prevention of Covid-19 transmission, please follow the guidance below:

Put it in the 'black bag' residual waste bin. You must not put used face coverings, of any kind, or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves, into the recycling bin.

Wearing a re-usable cloth face covering will prevent more single-use plastic from going to landfill or incineration plants. If you wear a cloth face covering in public, you should wash it after every use in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. When removing, do not touch the front of the face covering, or the part of the face covering that has been in contact with your mouth and nose. Once removed, store reusable face coverings in a plastic bag until you have an opportunity to wash them.

Floppy disks

If your floppy disks contain confidential material, see our guidance about non-paper Confidential Waste (University login required).

If the discs do not contain confidential material, place them in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Fluorescent tubes and light bulbs

We use traditional (gas-discharge) fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps throughout the University for lighting. They are both classified as hazardous waste when discarded, as they contain substances that could harm the environment.

If you need to dispose of fluorescent tubes, contact Sustainable Campus and we will arrange for their collection. We store the tubes securely in a central location before they are collected and treated by a licensed contractor.

LED tubes are not hazardous waste. You can dispose of them with other electrical waste (University login required).

Foil

You can put clean, uncontaminated foil in any of the can recycling bins around the campus.

If your foil is contaminated by food, rinse it before placing it into the can bins.

Food tins and drink cans

You can put these in the can recycling bins across the campus. Do not place full cans in these bins! Wash away liquid contents, or put solid contents into the food waste bins.

Wash food tins where necessary to prevent bad smells and pest issues.

Food waste

Newcastle University conducts a weekly food waste collection across campus and in student accommodation.  

What can you put in food waste bins?
All food waste items can be put in the green food waste bins in offices and kitchens across campus, but avoid putting liquids in the bins as this will cause a mess for the cleaning team.

Additionally, compostable coffee cups, cutlery, plates, and packaging should go into the general waste rather than the food waste bins. These materials cannot break down in the anaerobic digestion process and must be separated from food waste before putting it in the bin.

What happens to food waste?
Food waste is collected by a contractor and taken to a local anaerobic digestion facility. When the waste arrives at the facility, the plastic bags we put the food waste in are mechanically removed from the material. This small amount of plastic waste is then sent to an Energy from Waste Plant where it is combusted and used to produce energy.

The food waste is transferred to large air-free digestion tanks where the natural biological process of anaerobic digestion takes place. In the tanks, billions of bacteria ‘feed’ on the food waste. As they feed, they produce a methane rich ‘biogas’. The biogas is used for heating and to produce electricity for the National Grid.

Fridges and freezers

These items fall into the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) category. Find out how you can dispose of electrical waste (University login required).

Furniture

Surplus furniture is reused as much as possible within the University, and where it cannot be reused internally, it is collected by external organisations for reuse and upcycling.

Find out what to do with surplus furniture on our Reuse webpage.

Gas bottles and canisters

You must return gas containers to the supplier for reuse or dispose of them as hazardous waste.

Pressurised gas canisters

Pressurised gas cylinders are classed as hazardous waste and a safety risk because their contents may be:

• toxic (such as chlorine)
• flammable (such as propane, butane or acetylene)
• pressurised (presenting the risk of the violent release of their contents)

Small canisters

Dispose of small gas canisters as hazardous waste. See your School Safety Officer for further help. You must inform the contractor that you have gas canisters. When they are collected. ensure they are placed upright and the driver is aware of the previous contents.

Large canisters

Most large gas cylinders will have been supplied by a contractor as part of a rental agreement. This usually includes the return of empty cylinders for reuse, so contact the contractor. If you do not know the contractor, cylinders are usually well labelled. The supplier name is often stamped on the actual cylinder.

There may be occasions where the original supplier cannot be identified. These are called orphan cylinders. Calor Gas collects all orphaned cylinders.

Good practice guidance on the safe storage and handling of gas cylinders is available from Health and Safety Executive.

Call the numbers below to arrange collection.

Glass

Put glass bottles and jars in the glass recycling containers in kitchen areas. You can also leave them next to the food waste bins and the cleaning teams will remove them.

Remove lids, and rinse them if they contain food residues.

If you have a significant amount of glass, take it to the glass wheelie bin located with the other external bins for your building.

Gloves

For face coverings, gloves and wipes used for the prevention of Covid-19 transmission, please follow the guidance below:

Put it in the 'black bag' residual waste bin. You must not put used face coverings, of any kind, or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves, into the recycling bin.

Hazardous waste

Some types of waste are harmful to human health, or to the environment, or both, either immediately or over an extended period of time.

Classifying Waste: If you need to decide if a waste is hazardous, you should refer to the UK Government website on how to classify different types of waste. If you are unsure whether your waste product should be classified as hazardous, please contact sustainable-campus@ncl.ac.uk for advice.

If you have hazardous waste, you must: segregate it from non-hazardous waste, and ensure it is dealt with by a suitably qualified hazardous waste contractor.

WM3 is the Guidance on the classification and assessment of waste: Technical Guidance. The guidance explains how to assess if a waste displays a hazardous property and how to classify it.

Responsibilities: In all cases, academic and service units are responsible for the safety of the waste that they generate. Please contact your Safety Officer for advice.
This procedure satisfies safety concerns, Duty of Care and encourages producer responsibility.

Consignment Notes (HWCNs): As a hazardous waste producer, you must keep records of all hazardous waste, including WEEE and chemicals, for a minimum of three years. A Hazardous Waste Consignment Note (HWCN) is provided with every collection of hazardous waste, find out more about the hazardous waste disposal and records process here (University login required).

IT equipment

Find out how to dispose of electrical and electronic equipment (University login required).

Journals

On occasions, you may need to dispose of large numbers of books or journals, particularly when moving buildings. We can assist in this, as we have a book bank on campus in our waste yard.

If you have a few boxes to collect, submit a Planon job. If you have a large number of books to dispose of, contact Sustainable Campus and we will assess the best way to send these for reuse or recycling.

Keys

We recycle keys with scrap metal at our central waste yard. Place keys in an envelope addressed to the University Waste Yard, and put it in the internal mail.

If you have a significant amount, submit a porter's request via Planon to have them collected and taken to the yard.

Knives

Please contact sustainable-campus@newcastle.ac.uk for advice on how to dispose of knives.

Laminated paper

Dispose of laminated paper as non-recyclable waste.

Lightbulbs

See our advice about disposing of Fluorescent tubes and lightbulbs.

Leaflets

Put leaflets in the paper recycling bins. If you have a lot of boxes full of leaflets, either:

• take them to the external recycling bins, or
• ask for help to remove waste from the porters via the Planon portal.

Magazines

Put magazines in the paper recycling bins.

Mercury

Many items containing mercury are classed as hazardous waste, and need specialist disposal. Such items include:

• thermometers
• mercury switches

Contact your local Technical Manager or Sustainable Campus for help in disposing of these items.

Metal

You can recycle both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal. Raise a Planon request with the porters to remove scrap metal.

If you have a large quantity, you may prefer to get an enclosed skip directly from our contractor.

Mobile phones

You can dispose of University-owned mobile phones in the same way as other electronic equipment. See our advice about disposing of Electrical Waste (University login required).

Newspapers

Put newspapers in the paper recycling bins.

Oils

All waste oils are classed as hazardous waste. The School or Faculty has responsibility for their disposal. Find out how to dispose of hazardous waste here (University login required).

Packaging

All deliveries arrive with some sort of packaging. The packaging often helps to protect the product in transit or give information about the contents. But sometimes it is just plain useless.

When you receive over-packaged goods, try to encourage the delivery company to take back any plastic packaging. This may not be possible, so if over-packaged products arrive, make sure you e-mail or tell the company sales rep.

We can recycle a lot of packaging material, but you must separate it out into paper, plastics and combination materials:

• put paper in the paper recycling bins
• flatten card and put it next to office bins (for small volumes) or take it to the external cardboard bins for large volumes
• put bubble wrap, shrink wrap and polythene in the non-recyclable bins
• if the packaging is made from a combination of materials that you cannot separate, put it in the non-recyclable waste bins
• put polystyrene in the non-recyclable waste bins
• pallets should be taken to the Waste Yard by the Porters via a Planon request

Paint

The contractors or maintenance teams should remove all paint containers after completion of work. If this is not the case, contact the relevant Project Manager or Sustainable Campus so they can identify who is responsible and have the material removed.

Residual paint: if there is enough paint of sufficient quality for use, contact Sustainable Campus. We will either arrange for it to be reused or donated to charity for reuse in the community.

Empty containers: dispose of water-based paint and empty containers in the general waste skip in the waste yard. You should submit a porters request via Planon to have empty containers taken to the yard.

You should dispose of other types of paint, even empty containers, as hazardous waste. Ensure that containers are sealed to remove the risk of spillage.

If you need help in disposing of paint, contact Sustainable Campus.

Pallets

Ask your suppliers to take their pallets (and any other packaging) away with them, so we do not have to deal with this waste. If this is not possible, submit a porters request via Planon to have the pallets collected.

Under no circumstances should you dump pallets in bin areas.

Paper

Please place paper in the paper recycling bins. Read more about how you can recycle paper.

If you have a large volume of paper to dispose of, do not place it in the paper recycling bins. Instead, arrange for a paper clear-out (University login required).

Paper towels and tissues

Paper towels are non-recyclable. You should put them in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Pens

Pens are not currently recycled on campus. Stationary can, however, be recycled at Ryman Stationary in Eldon Square (roughly a ten to fifteen minute walk from our city-centre campus).

Plastic bags

Please place plastic bags in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Plastic tubs, pots and containers

The best thing we can all do is to reduce the amount of plastic we use. It is incredibly hard to recycle some kinds of plastics.

Find out what you can recycle in the University plastic recycling bins.

Polystyrene packaging

We are currently unable to recycle polystyrene. All forms of polystyrene material must be disposed of in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Wherever possible, engage with suppliers to reduce the amount of packaging that comes with goods and products, or ask for suppliers to set up take-back schemes.

Post Its

We are currently unable to recycle post its due to the glue layer. Please put these in the non-recyclable waste bins.

Printer ink and toner cartridges

Submit a porters request via Planon to have printer cartridges taken to the waste yard.

Tetra packs

Unfortunately, we do not have a recycling route for Tetra packs at present. You should put them in the non-recyclable waste bins.

TVs and monitors

Read our guidance about recycling electrical and electronic waste (University login required).

Toner and printer ink cartridges

Submit a porters request via Planon to have printer cartridges taken to the waste yard.

Video tapes

If your video tapes contain confidential information, see our guidance on how to dispose of non-paper confidential waste here (University login required).

If the tapes do not contain confidential information, you should put them in the non-recyclable (general) waste bins.

WEEE

WEEE is an acronym for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Find out how you can dispose of it (University login required).

Wipes

For face coverings, gloves and wipes used for the prevention of Covid-19 transmission, please follow the guidance below:

Put it in the 'black bag' residual waste bin. You must not put used face coverings, of any kind, or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves, into the recycling bin.

Wood and timber

Complete a porters request through Planon to remove wood waste to our centralised skip. If you have a large quantity of wood, you can request a skip online.

X-ray

If you have any x-ray files that you need to dispose of, contact Sustainable Campus and we will arrange for safe, secure disposal.