Making recycling easy

This is your full guide on how best to manage your waste and keep the planet happy at LSE.

Sometimes it can be difficult to fight the urge just to throw stuff in the black bin for convenience, especially if you're new to the area. Well, the easiest way to combat that urge is through knowledge! You'll find the whole process less painful if you take the time to read this article and become a recycling master!

What can be recycled?

If you're new to managing your waste in this way then please don't feel like it's too late to get on board, as every little bit you can do contributes to the wider goal of saving the planet! If you can identify the right bin for the right waste then you're off to a good start!



You will find on campus and likely in your accommodation that bins follow a colour-coded system. Here's a rundown of the items you should be disposing of in each:

• Green bins -  empty plastic bottles, drink cans, tins, paper/card, cartons and even potentially glass (but check first, there are sometimes bins dedicated to glass in the area). Do not dispose of food or liquids in these bins as they may damage the rest of the recyclable items!
• Blue bins - these are dedicated to paper and you will usually find them in paper-usage-heavy places such as classrooms, offices and libraries.
• Brown bins - purely food waste such as (but not limited to) fruit, veg, dairy, meat, bread, tea bags and coffee grounds. The packaging in which the food comes in does not count so dispose of this separately.
• Black bins - everything leftover that currently can't be recycled. plastic film, used tissues, crisp packets, etc. 

Any cardboard should be folded/flat packed and placed near appropriate bins (which will be taken care of by the assigned cleaner). If you come across a bin that isn't any of these colours then it will usually have symbols on it to represent what waste it is. Keep an eye out for the right bin and what kinds of items can be disposed of in them to prevent items that could have been recycled from being destroyed. 

Where can I recycle?

Thankfully more places are becoming eco-friendly and are making it easier to reduce your environmental impacts. This means more options closer to you! Most of the bins should be available to you either in campus spaces, canteens or classrooms but there will be times when you have items that need a special point. Check out this handy map below:

As you can see, LSE have you covered when it comes to any items that can't be recycled in a standard bin. Over time you will see lots of these special items such as used batteries, clothes and old electronics build-up, so why not remove that clutter from your life and feel good about it? For any more details on what can be recycled in these points, or other LSE policies head to LSE's waste and recycling page. Or you can contact the team directly on any issues at Sustainability.Team@lse.ac.uk.

Outside of LSE, you will find a bunch of charity shops that are more than willing to take certain reusable items off of your hands. They even run pick-up services depending on the item. Any donations to the closest British Heart Foundation will help fund life-saving research and if you're feeling extra generous then you can volunteer your time to help out in the store. 

How do I practice zero waste?

Recycling is just one of many things you can do to reduce your waste. Practising zero waste requires you to take extra steps to remove the need to even recycle items in the first place. For example, you wouldn't need to think about where to dispose of your sandwich packaging if you bought reusable tupperware and made your lunch at home (and would have the added bonus of saving you some pennies!). This visual representation shows just how key reduction is when it comes to practising zero waste:

Reusable items will have a big impact as well, both when you're at uni and home. Simply making an effort to stop using one-use items such as cups, cutlery and bottles will get you on the path of zero waste. Here's a scary statistic for you, 8 million disposable cups are used in the UK every day and only 4% of these get recycled! These steps at an individual level are just the beginning but if we all put them into practice they will make a difference.

Want to know more about sustainability at LSE? Take the module on Moodle, subscribe to the monthly Green Flash newsletter or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and the LSE Student Hub @SustainableLSE.