Best universities for recycling and sustainability 2024
Explore the top 100 universities championing responsible consumption and production in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
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Plastic use has become one of the biggest issues of this generation, with bottles, bags, food packaging and straws littering our beaches and clogging up our oceans.
While we have a long way to go to rectify this, there are many things you can do to help preserve the planet. And one of those is holding your university to account and understanding what it’s doing to consume materials responsibly.
The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings is a good place to start if you are looking to see which universities are dedicated to reducing plastic waste, minimising the use of disposable items and working to recycle more, and which have policies in place for sourcing ethical goods.
To put together this ranking, we mapped how universities around the world are committing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global call to action to tackle poverty, climate change and inequality.
The SDGs look to tackle some of today’s biggest global issues, and SDG 12 covers responsible consumption and production. More on the methodology for this ranking can be found here.
=1. Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University takes joint first place in this year’s table for SDG 12.
The university has committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030/31. The steps to achieve this are outlined in its Campus Heat Decarbonisation Plan.
Bournemouth University is focused on reducing overall waste per person through a range of different measures including encouraging students to refill their bottles and a returnable cup scheme, which has reduced disposable coffee cup waste.
The university offers guidance on what can and can’t be recycled and provides points throughout the campus where students and staff can dispose of non-recyclable products correctly.
=1. King’s College London
King’s College London has created a Waste and Resource Strategy and Action Plan, which outlines the institution’s plan to increase recycling and reduce waste.
Its has set the target to reduce operational waste by 30 per cent and increase recycling to 60 per cent by 2023-24. The university also operates a zero waste to landfill policy.
The plan outlines how different waste is collected and disposed of and encourages students and staff to use the correct bins on campus to support this.
3. University of Reading
The University of Reading is working with students to embed sustainability and sustainable development into all courses to educate students about the importance of sustainable living.
In addition to this, the university offers a range of modules on environmental and social issues to all undergraduate students, regardless of which faculty they are studying in. There is also a free online two-week course in which you can investigate the impact of climate change and the research being done into it.
The university has a range of sustainability projects, including the Research Woodland and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme.
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4. Western Sydney University
In 2017, Western Sydney University signed the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Higher Education Commitment. This means that it has committed to undertaking research in sustainable development, providing courses for students in sustainable development and responsible consumption and ensuring that its campus is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.
The university undertakes a range of sustainability-related research, including on sustainable agriculture, soil biology and food security.
It has a range of living labs on its campus to aid with teaching and research in areas such as renewable energy, water recycling and and natural and cultural heritage.
5. University of Sheffield
The Donate, Don’t Waste scheme at the University of Sheffield helps students donate reusable items, recycle waste and minimise their impact on the environment and local community when they move out of their student accommodation.
There is also a checklist that students can use when moving out of their accommodation on how to correctly donate and dispose of unwanted items.
The university also has litter-picking equipment available for students if they wish to pick up litter in their local area, or they can join community litter-picking groups in Sheffield.
