The University of Kent situated in the city of Canterbury is a leading academic institution with over 20,000 students and 4000 staff. With a vision to create “the best garden campus in the UK”, getting waste management right is a top priority.
In 2018 EKR was awarded a 3-year contract to manage the municipal waste generated across campus. Accommodation and facilities create a multitude of waste streams to be managed. The University wanted to increase recycling and improve sustainability onsite.
The biggest challenge was devising a strategy to manage the many waste streams and how that was to be stored onsite pending collection. Additionally, this needed to be communicated across staff and students and regularly monitored and adapted.
We needed first to understand the complexities of waste generation onsite and what the University aimed to archive from a cost, logistic and environmental perspective. An analysis and review of waste practice along with a site survey and discovery meetings gave us the information to propose a new working plan.
We re-designed the waste compound to allow for better use of space, ease of access and additional waste streams. Signage was provided and training was given to support communication and knowledge.
On-going monthly meetings are key to ensuring the Waste Management at the University is constantly evolving and adapting and we are able to identify any challenges and opportunities arising.
A collaborative approach has led to an extension of the contract and the opportunity to help build long term sustainable waste solutions for the University.
