Your Union – Environment

“The University of Leicester Students’ Union recognizes that its activities have the potential for both positive and negative impacts upon the environment at local, national and global levels. The Union acknowledges its responsibility for environmental protection and also aims to contribute to the national commitment to sustainable development. It will seek to achieve continual improvement in how it measures and responds to its environmental impacts and actively communicate this to students and stakeholders.”

A full version of the policy can be found under “Union Policy”

Students’ Union helped launched the national 10:10 scheme in London

Students’ Union achieved Sound Impact Silver

Little Green Week was a great success

Age of Stupid Screening to over 200 students and VIPs - including two Mayors

Reduced the Union’s carbon footpring by 17.5%

Carbon neutral Freshers’ Fair powered by Bio-Fuel

Environmental Officer created on Union Parliament

Environmental Sustainbility Policy and Procurment Policy implementated

Numerous investments in energy saving devices within the Union

The University of Leicester Students’ Union is committed to supporting developing countries through offering a fair price to farmers.

The Students’ Union is Fairtrade accredited and all provides Fairtrade alternatives to all our products where possible.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 is 28th Feb - 13th March. to get involved contact Owen Jones (Campaigns & Involvement Officer) - owen@leicesterunion.com

A copy of the joint University and Students’ Union Fairtrade Policy can be found at the bottom of this page, along with the Students’ Union policy of Fairtrade

Green Impact programme is an accreditation scheme for environmental best-practice in Students’ Unions. The scheme seeks to encourage, nurture, reward and celebrate good environmental practice in students’ unions and run by NUS Service Limited - the commercial arm of the NUS.

The University of Leicester Students’ Union has also been quite successful in the four years this award has existed, achieving Silver Award in the last two years.

Last year the Students’ Union were very close to achieving Gold, and received a glowing report from NUSSL and will be hoping to come away with the Gold Award this year.

The University and the Students’ Union try and make recycling as easy as possible. However, we understand that it is often confusing what rubbish goes in which bin. To help you here as an easy A-Z of waste at the University:

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/estates/environment/wasteandrecycling/what/a-z

Further Information:-

Recycling on Campus

Waste and Recycling is an important aspect of the Environment Team’s work.
In 2007/2008, over 3000 internal recycling bins were put into over 40 academic buildings on the main and north campus. After conducting a waste audit in July and August 2008, The Environment Team calculated that the University is recycling, on average, 55% of its waste from the buildings which have the recycling bins. Although the rollout of the recycling scheme is not complete, the recycling rate of 55% is a great achievement for the University. Over 600 hours of volunteer time and Environmental Coordinator time was given for the delivery of the recycling bins.

The University’s recycling scheme allows for paper, plastic and metal to be recycled.  It is a segregated scheme meaning that there are separate bins for each material. You can find out more by visiting the Environment Team’s A-Z Guide.

Recycling

The Environment Team are working to increase the quantity and quality of the waste that is recycled. While conducting waste audits, the Environment Team found that the level of contamination in the recycling bags from student-based areas was higher than office based environments.

Improvements.

The Environment Team are also working to increase the quality of the current recycling based signage as a means to make recycling easier for the University’s users. New designs are currently sitting with the University’s designers, along with a booklet titled ‘A-Z Guide to Waste and Recycling’. Investigations into improved waste containment, cardboard compactors and ‘take back’ schemes are currently being undertaken by the University’s Waste Officer Phil Ball.

Where does our recycling go?

At the University of Leicester, all our recyclables and landfill waste is collected by Shanks and their various partners. All the waste that is collected is then taken to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

At the MRF, all the recycling is sorted and separated into different types of materials by hand or machine (or both) before being sent to manufacturers who make it into new products.
For more information on the Environment Team and the recycling scheme, please visit www.le.ac.uk/environment or email environment@le.ac.uk

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Helping more than 4 million people gain access to clean, disease free drinking water through Christian Aid and Pump Aid.

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