Reduce, reuse, recycle

Reduce and reuse

Different sustainability initiatives in the town aim to minimise waste and consumption by encouraging the use of second-hand and shared products. Please see the circular economy page for more information.

What you can do

Recycling

Recycling is an important aspect of our environmental goals. You can help us to reduce our waste and ensure that recycling bins are not contaminated by following the recycling signs and recycling properly within University buildings and at home.

The recycling systems used within and outwith the centre of town are different, so when recycling at home, it's important that you follow the guidelines for your specific postcode.

You can find the bin information and collection dates for your home using the Fife Council’s Bin Calendar and more information about how to recycle items that aren’t listed there on their A to Z of recycling.

Single bin recycling system

If you live within the centre of town, Fife Council provides limited resources for recycling. For general waste, you will have a bin or seagull-proof refuse sack assigned to your house. To recycle, you have to take your recycling to one of Fife Council's recycling points.

Four bin recycling system

If you live outside of the centre of town, your household will have the following four bins: blue, green, grey, and brown. For details on what should and should not go into these bins, please refer to Fife Council's household recycling webpage.

University recycling sites

• Students Union (KY16 9UA)
• Main University Library (KY16 9TR)
• Outside all student halls or residences

Follow these guidelines to recycle effectively at the University and in the town:

Top (left to right): cartons, food and drink cans, paper and cardboard, plastic bottles

Bottom (left to right): food waste, mixed glass, paper and card

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What we are doing

Items that cannot be reused or remanufactured are recycled. We provide several ways of recycling and work with students and staff to reduce contamination of the bins.

Initiatives include:

• Bin the bin: we are making recycling easier at the University by moving individual office desk bins to centralised recycling bin systems. This gives us a better overview of what we use on a daily basis and helps to minimise waste. 
• Though the University does not provide glass recycling bins, bottles and jars can be placed in designated glass recycling bins located throughout St Andrews.
• Plastic bottles and containers, cans, paper and cardboard should be placed in the dry mixed recycling bins.
• Staff can recycle electronic waste and broken IT equipment: either fill in and send the WEEE uplift form (Excel) to estates@st-andrews.ac.uk or contact the relevant building reporting officer and ask them to add a request through the helpdesk.
• Students in halls can bring electronic waste to the hall reception and your Halls Life Coordinator will raise a WEE request.
• To recycle batteries, lamps, polystyrene, wood and scrap metal, email the University Estates team at estates@st-andrews.ac.uk who will collect the items.
• Recycle Vegware packaging in the specified Vegware bins as it requires a different composting process to food waste. These bins are located at the University cafés.
• IT Services have a PC Clinic service and promote 'repair, don’t replace' for personal student and staff devices. IT Services repair damaged or faulty staff laptops and desktops rather than replacing them when it is cost effective to do so. Where that's not possible, the faulty device will be used for spare parts. IT Services recently took part in the Repair Café and follow Gartner best practice.

Recycling FAQs

Have you ever gone to throw something away and suddenly realised you’re not sure which bin you should use? Use our FAQs to help you choose the best bin for your rubbish. If you have further questions, please email the Environment Team on environment@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Frequently asked questions about what and how to recycling at the University of St Andrews

Question	Answer
Do I have to wash plastic items, such as plastic bottles and yogurt pots, before putting them in the plastic recycling bin?	Not necessary – these can be placed directly into recycling bins. Use the plastic or dry mixed Recycling (DMR) bins.
Can I recycle a disposable coffee cup like those from Costa? What about the coffee cup lids?	No – these must go in the general waste bin.
Do I need to take the lids off plastic bottles?	No – these can be left on.
Why are there no glass recycling bins at the University?	There are no internal glass recycling bins to ensure the safety of cleaning staff when emptying. There are several external mixed glass bins located across the University campus.
Where can we recycle electronics?	A request can be made to the Recycling Team in Estates to collect electronic items which are then reused, recycled or repurposed.
Where do I put energy bar packets and crisp packets? Are they plastic or paper?	These should be placed into plastics or DMR.
Where does compostable cutlery and other ware go?	Compostable items should be placed into the Vegware compostable packaging bins located at the three University cafés. University catering services will take away and package Vegware items from catered events for composting at the Vegware plant near to Aberdeen.
Is it better to leave the lid on my milk bottle before recycling it or take it off?	Leave it on.
Can I put all kinds of plastic in plastic recycling, including film?	Yes, including film. Plastics are separated at the mixed recycling facility.
What do I do with tea bag sleeves and wrappers – some look and feel quite paper-ish, while others seem coated with a waterproof-like layer?	Into DMR, which is for plastics, cans, cartons, paper, cardboard and other materials that all get sorted at the recycling plant. Paper and cardboard are also dealt with through DMR processors, so whether the tea bag wrapper has a slightly glossy feel or is purely paper, it can go into the same bin.