High-quality reuse

More high-value use of waste streams.

When waste is collected separately as much as possible, products and materials can be processed more highly. We try to create as many monostreams as possible from which waste processors can make new products.

42 monostreams

By investigating what ends up in our waste or leaves our university as a material stream, we can look for better (high-quality) processing methods. Currently, the university collects waste in at least 42 different monostreams, most of which are remade into a product.

Waste is given new life

For instance, our coffee grounds are collected separately and this is used as a nutrient medium to grow oyster mushrooms. These are then used to make oyster mushroom croquettes. Old furniture is refurbished (R5) into new furniture. The same goes for our old laptops and phones, which sometimes just need some repairs (R4) before they can be used again. Potting soil from research is reused (R3) as garden soil in the Botanical Gardens. Old glassware is given new life in our glassworks (R8). Tissues used to dry hands are collected separately to be recycled back into a new tissue. And removing disposable cups and replacing them with reusable alternatives reduces resource use (R2).