Release date: 1 December 2022
Students in the county are getting extra lessons in recycling thanks to a new initiative from the West Sussex Waste Partnership.
The partnership – which comprises West Sussex County Council and all of the district and borough councils – is aiming to improve recycling rates in students aged 15-24.
The partnership is working with the University of Chichester and the Chichester College Group (at Brinsbury, Chichester, Crawley, Haywards Heath, and Worthing).
A series of events and initiatives have been taking place, including a clothes swap, improved recycling collections, a film night, and regular waste prevention information stalls across all campuses.
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.”
So far, the project 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 all campuses.
- 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.
Jon Rollings, Chief Operating Officer for Chichester College Group, said: "At Chichester College Group, we are committed to taking steps to reduce waste and increase recycling across all of our campuses. That's why we're working closely with the West Sussex Waste Partnership to help us look at ways we can increase our understanding of waste prevention and highlight how we can all do our bit for our environment - whether that's here at college or at home."
Mark Barlow, who leads the University of Chichester’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.”
To find out how you can improve your recycling efforts at home, visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/recycling.
