Waste collection

As a university, we consider sustainability very important. That is why we separate waste in (all) our university buildings. The better we do this, the more waste we can reuse or recycle, and the less (residual) waste we have to incinerate. Ultimately, this leads to fewer CO2 emissions, which fits in with the university's sustainability ambitions. UU's ultimate goal is zero waste operations by 2030.

How do we separate waste?

Using special waste bins, we separate the following waste streams:

Paper
Fruit, vegetable and food waste
Plastic and beverage cartons
Residual waste

Four round stickers with pictograms for clean and dry paper, organic waste, plastic and drinking cartons, and general waste

What belongs where?

It can sometimes be confusing what kind of waste belongs in which bin. Below you can read which waste you can put in each waste stream.

Paper

The paper waste stream seems very obvious, but this is not always the case. This is because by paper we mean clean paper. What is clean paper? That is, for example, envelopes, newspapers, leaflets, paper with printed text, books, etc. When is paper no longer clean? A good example is a pizza box. An unused pizza box is still clean and can be disposed of as waste paper. But as soon as it has pizza grease on it, it is no longer 'clean paper' and must therefore be disposed of with residual waste. The same applies to kitchen paper, for example. In principle, you can throw away a full roll of kitchen paper as paper. But do you use a roll of paper to clean up your spilled drink? Then it is no longer clean and must therefore be disposed of with residual waste.

Fruit, vegetable and food waste

Anything related to kitchen waste, such as food waste and peelings, is allowed in this bin. Fruit, vegetable and food waste is organic waste that forms the basis for compost. It is therefore very important to separate it properly.

Plastic and Beverage Cartons

Formerly Plastic, Metal and Beverage Cartons has now changed to Plastic and Beverage Cartons only. In this waste stream, you may dispose of beverage cartons (such as a packet of apple juice or yoghurt drink) and plastic. Metals, for example a can of drink, belong in general waste.

Why do we separate plastic and drinking cartons but no longer separate metals?

In early 2023, for companies and organisations, the composition of the waste stream 'Plastic, Metal and Beverage Cartons' changed to Plastic (packaging) and Beverage Cartons. Metals (e.g. cola cans) are no longer included here, as there is a deposit on beverage cans from April 2023. Cans, which were previously also allowed in PMD, will now go back to residual waste. These metals are recovered after incineration of the residual waste.

General waste

The last stream we have is general waste. Anything that does not belong in another waste stream is allowed in the general waste. We try to limit the general residual waste stream as much as possible because, unfortunately, it cannot always be recycled. This means that the waste is either landfilled or incinerated. Which, of course, is very bad for the environment.

What can you do yourself to reduce waste?

We hope that as a student or employee, you will want to help us dispose of waste in the best way possible. But of course, you can also choose to produce less waste! You can do this in several ways, for example:

Print as little as possible.
Buy things unpackaged as much as possible.
Use less paper towels to dry your hands. If you shake well, you can make do with just one paper towel.
Use a sustainable drinking bottle. It takes as much as one litre of water and one litre of oil to produce a disposable plastic bottle.
Try to use as little food packaging as possible. Take a bread bin, for example! Or buy a reusable plastic cup you can take yoghurt in instead of buying a small plastic yoghurt container.

Why do we separate waste?

Utrecht University is aiming for Zero Waste operations in 2030. This sustainable target means that by 2030, we will no longer burn or landfill waste. Currently, residual waste from office and education buildings in particular is burnt and dumped, which has a negative impact on the environment. We solve this together by separating waste better, thereby increasing the proportion of waste that can be reused and reducing the amount of residual waste.

Which waste streams do we separate?

As many as 23 types of industrial waste are separated by the university, large waste and small waste. In almost all buildings (except some in the city centre), the university separates the following waste streams in the waste separation stations: clean and dry paper, GFE (vegetable, fruit and food waste), PD (plastic and drink cartons) and residual waste.

Why can't I separate the same waste streams everywhere?

The location of the waste bins in a building determines which waste flows can be separated. For example, paper is sometimes not separated at catering locations and pantries, because the paper produced here is normally not clean and therefore has to go with the residual waste. Do you believe that a waste stream is missing from a certain place in a building? Then make a report via Topdesk.

Why can't I throw away my coffee cup everywhere anymore?

Disposable coffee cups have a major impact on our CO2 emissions. UU consumes a lot of disposable cups (almost 1.3 million in 2019). As UU, we are working towards 'zero waste' operations by 2030. Saying goodbye to disposable cups is a step that contributes to this. From 1 January 2024, disposable cups will also no longer be allowed in the office environment. With our waste bins, we are sorting for this measure. Want to know more about how we deal with coffee cups at Utrecht University? Then take a look at our Intranet.

What is the process after I have separated my waste?

Each waste flow is collected in a specific colour waste bag. The cleaners collect these waste bags, assess whether the waste in the bag is not contaminated (whether there is too much residual waste with the GFE, for example) and throw them separately into the containers. Once or several times a week, the containers are taken to the street and collected by the waste handlers. Each waste stream is processed differently. GFE is composted, plastic largely recycled and residual waste incinerated where energy is recovered.

Why do we separate plastics and beverage cartons but no longer metals?

At the beginning of 2023, for companies and organisations, the composition of the waste stream 'Plastic, Metal and Drinks cartons' changed to Plastic (packaging) and Drinks cartons. This no longer includes metals (e.g. cola cans), as there will be a deposit on beverage cans from April 2023. Cans, which were previously also allowed in PMD, will now go back to residual waste. These metals are recovered after incineration of the residual waste using magnets.

Why do you have to separate waste at university, when you don't have to at home?

In some municipalities, residents' residual waste is separated differently. A sorting machine there removes the plastic from the residual waste and can separate the combined waste by up to 57%.

Renewi, Utrecht University's waste processor, says that the self-separation of waste by students and staff produces less residual waste that is incinerated or landfilled. This is why the university still has a separate PD waste stream for plastic and drinking cardboard.