The mission: Improve recycling habits and reduce contamination across a busy university environment

UWE Bristol wanted to improve waste segregation across its four sites, including the main Frenchay campus and student accommodation areas. Although sustainability and re-use were already important parts of campus culture, which includes an onsite re-use shop, contamination and inconsistent recycling habits remained a challenge.


With thousands of students moving through campus spaces every day, behaviour change was key. The focus was not simply on managing waste, but on helping students understand why correct segregation matters, how recycling systems work and what role they play in reducing waste.


Our solution: Keeping waste and recycling visible through regular education, engagement and on-site support

SUEZ worked closely with UWE’s sustainability and circular economy teams to build education into everyday campus activity. Rather than relying on one-off awareness campaigns, the partnership centred on a regular engagement that kept waste and recycling visible throughout the academic year.


The team supported careers events and science fairs, sharing practical insights into ‘green skills’ and helping students understand the journey materials take after collection. Engineering students were involved in design challenges, encouraging them to tackle real recycling problems, while site tours at our Severnside Energy Recovery Centre (SERC) and Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) gave students a first-hand look at how materials are processed. 


On campus, activities during Green Week and recycling events used simple, hands-on ways to explain source segregation, bin types and contamination. SUEZ teams also engaged directly with first-year students, helping them understand how to dispose of waste correctly from the moment they arrived.


This close collaboration also supports re-use initiatives, including the onsite Repair Café, as well as regular waste audits with onsite team to identify contamination hotspots and improve waste practices within accommodation areas.


The results: A practical, data-led approach that helps keep recycling and waste awareness front of mind across campus

31.72%

overall recycling rate from August 2023 to March 2026

2,347.8

tonnes of waste collected

744.6

tonnes recycled

Since the contract began in August 2023, recycling rates across UWE’s campuses have generally increased from an initial 27.65% to 35.23% within the first three months, showing strong early progress following mobilisation.


Recycling rates continued to perform well, reaching 36.77% in October 2024, with the highest monthly figure of 54.41% recorded in August 2025 during the student move-in period.


Recycling figures naturally fluctuate throughout the academic year in line with university activity, with quieter holiday periods reducing volumes and higher figures often seen during Easter clear-outs and student move-in periods.


Across the period from August 2023 to March 2026, UWE’s waste operation managed 2,347.828 tonnes of waste, of which 744.616 tonnes were recycled, delivering an overall recycling rate of 31.72%.


Alongside these positive results, events, site tours and student projects have helped strengthen awareness of re-use and circular economy thinking, while ongoing waste audits continue to provide practical insight into contamination challenges where further engagement may be needed.


Real sustainability culture doesn't come from posters on a wall, it comes from genuine moments of understanding, and those moments have to be experienced, not just taught. Working with SUEZ, we've built that into the fabric of campus life, whether that's a student fixing something at the Repair Café or visiting a materials facility for the first time. Improving recycling rates matters, but our ambition goes further, we want students to leave UWE Bristol as advocates for a smarter, less wasteful world, and this partnership is helping us get there.
Jade Shih , UWE Head of Circular Economy