Changes to recycling in Spring 2025 – all your questions answered
By: Ellie Evans
Last updated: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Why are you introducing new food waste bins?
From 1 April 2025, all businesses and other non-households must separate plastic, paper and card, glass, metals (cans, tins and foil) and food waste from general waste, saving valuable resources from going to waste and supporting the circular economy in the UK. This is being called Simpler Recycling by the Government.
As a result, we are initially placing new food waste caddies in 54 office kitchens across our campus this spring. Then we will add food waste recycling to our 785 student residence kitchens for the new academic year in September.
What can go into the new food waste caddies in kitchens on campus?
The full list is:
- All uneaten food and plate scrapings
- Baked goods such as bread, cakes and pastries
- Dairy products, eggs and eggshells
- Fruit and vegetables including raw and cooked vegetables and peelings
- Out-of-date or mouldy food
- Pet food
- Raw and cooked meat or fish, including bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
What will happen to the food waste?
Collected food waste is converted into green energy and a nutrient-rich digestate through a process called anaerobic digestion.
When will the food waste caddies be emptied?
The new food waste caddies will be emptied and cleaned at least twice a week. If you are experiencing any issues with the bins, please contact the SEF service centre by emailing ServiceCentre@sef.fm
Can we request a food waste caddy if we don't have one?
At the moment, we are only issuing food waste caddies to our 54 office kitchens on campus. If you have a small kitchenette near you but without a food waste caddy, it’s likely a larger kitchen on your floor has a caddy.
If you don’t have a food waste caddy for your office kitchen but you really need one, please contact the SEF service centre by emailing ServiceCentre@sef.fm
What happens if there are flies around my bin?
To minimise flies in and around your food waste caddies, please keep the lid closed at all times. The new food waste caddies will be emptied and cleaned at least twice a week. If you need to empty your bin outside the cleaning schedule, please contact the SEF service centre by emailing ServiceCentre@sef.fm
What do I do if the bin is full but my collection isn’t coming yet?
If you need to empty your bin outside the cleaning schedule, please contact the SEF service centre by emailing ServiceCentre@sef.fm
Can compostable packaging and containers go into the food waste caddies?
No, compostable packaging can contain a variety of materials - and some contain different types of plastic which contaminates the food waste and can cause issues when processed.
Please only put the following into the caddies:
- All uneaten food and plate scrapings
- Baked goods such as bread, cakes and pastries
- Dairy products, eggs and eggshells
- Fruit and vegetables including raw and cooked vegetables and peelings
- Out-of-date or mouldy food
- Pet food
- Raw and cooked meat or fish, including bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
Will you be recycling the food waste from our campus cafes?
All our catering outlets will be recycling food waste behind the scenes in the kitchens. Most collect any plate waste and recycle this in the kitchen bins, and several safes will install a food waste bin for customers very soon.
And what about the food waste bins around the campus?
The food waste/ composting bins dotted around campus will also be collected to be converted into green energy and a nutrient-rich digestate through a processed called anaerobic digestion.
In addition, we will be improving the signage for all our exterior twin bins over the summer break to help improve our recycling rates.
What about the changes to mixed recycling?
You can now put any of the following items into the bins labelled 'Mixed Recycling', both in your offices and around campus:
- Steel and aluminium tins, drinks cans, aerosols
- Aluminium tubes, foil and food trays
- Steel and aluminium jar and bottle lids
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, tubes and trays
- Food and drink cartons (eg Tetra Pak and Pringles tubes)
- Paper and cardboard
For more details on what to recycle on campus, please see the Recycling A-Z for staff members at /sef/services/waste/academic
This work supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 13 (climate action).You can read more about our work on the SDGs here.