Halls of Residence

Green living

Green pledge

Halls recycle icon We take our impact on the environment seriously and no doubt you do too. If everyone makes small changes to daily habits we can together make a significant contribution to reducing our carbon footprint within Halls.

Please help to make your Hall a greener place.

Do your bit to help the university reach its 30 per cent carbon reduction target by 2016. Have a quick look at our 30 top tips Simple lifestyle changes can help the environment and your wallet too.


General waste and recycling

At Halls of Residence we apply the waste hierarchy of the 3Rs shown below to prioritise how waste should be managed based on its environmental impact.

Reduce the amount of waste we accumulate. Select items with the least packaging and, wherever possible, buy better quality items that should last longer.

Re-use items instead of throwing them away. Pass items on, repair them or adapt them for other uses. Many items, such as clothes or unwanted gifts, can be passed on via the Halls Bag it Up for Charity scheme.

Recycle everything that can be recycled, which will significantly reduce the amount of waste needing disposal.

Greenspace Bin

A large percentage of UK households still do not recycle enough and throw everything that they consider 'rubbish' into their ordinary bin. Up to 70 per cent of this waste can be recycled and should be disposed of separately to general household waste.

Outside of Halls you will find purple coloured bins for your general waste and Green Space bins for materials suitable for recycling.

What can be recycled in Halls 'Green Space' bins?

Recycling A – Z

The University Halls of Residence recycling scheme allows for a wide range of items to be recycled in just one bin. See table below for more information and remember: wash any items before recycling (if they contain liquids or food).


Type of waste

Disposal route

Aerosol

Recycle - Green Space bin

Aluminium foil

Recycle - Green Space bin

Aluminium tray

Recycle - Green Space bin

Battery

Reception (battery bucket)

Can (both ferrous and aluminium)

Recycle - Green Space bin

Cardboard (waxed/plastic/coated)

Recycle - Green Space bin

Cardboard box (broken down)

Recycle - Green Space bin

Cardboard tube

Recycle - Green Space bin

Card (Birthday/Christmas and so on)

Recycle - Green Space bin

Plastic shopping bag

General waste - Purple bin

Carton (juice, milk and so on)

Recycle - Green Space bin

Cartridge (printer)

Contact your Hall reception

 Catalogue

 Recycle - Green Space bin

 Cereal box

 Recycle - Green Space bin

 Chemicals

 Contact your reception

 Computer

 Contact your Hall reception

 Crisp packet

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Detergent/washing powder box

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Directory

Recycle - Green Space bin

Drink can

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Egg carton

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Electrical waste (WEEE items)

Contact your Hall reception

 Envelope

 Recycle - Green Space bin

 Foil

 Recycle - Green Space bin

Food waste

General waste – Purple bin

Glass bottle/jar (all colours)

Recycle - Green Space bin

IT equipment

Contact your Hall reception

Junk mail/magazine

Recycle - Green Space bin

Light bulbs

Contact your Hall reception

Kitchen roll

Recycle - Green Space bin

Magazine

Recycle - Green Space bin

Margarine tub

Recycle - Green Space bin

Mobile phones

Contact your Hall reception

 Newspaper

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Paper bag

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Paper (plain)

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Paper plate

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Phone book (including “Yellow Pages”)

Recycle - Green Space bin

Pizza box

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Plastic bottle

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Plastic container

 General recycling

 Polystyrene

 General waste – Purple bins

 Shredded paper

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Toilet roll tube

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Yellow pages

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Yoghurt pot

Recycle - Green Space bin

 Tetra pack (fruit juice cartons)

 Recycle - Green Space bin

How do I dispose of waste and where are the bins?

You can find all information on how to dispose of waste by using Recycling (Green Space) and General waste (Purple) bins in your Halls of Residence at:

 

Guildhall Halls

Recycling

All kitchens in Guildhall Halls have a separate recycling bin containing a clear plastic bag. 

Please place all suitable recyclable materials (list displayed on front of bin) into the bin. Once the bag is full, take it down to your nearest GreenSpacebin (outside your Hall). Drop the bag and contents directly into the bin. 

Please do not place black plastic bags into Green Space bins as they will contaminate the whole container and will not be collected by the contractors working for the Halls of Residence.

General waste

Your kitchen also has a separate bin for general waste containing a black plastic bag.  When the bin is full please place the bag and contents into the general waste Purple bins outside your Hall.

Please remember: Clear bags for recycling, Black bags for general waste                                                                     

Location of external bins

Margaret Rule Hall

  • General waste Purple bins are located inside the bin shed to the right as you leave Hall entrance, facing Bateson Hall.
  • Recycling Green Space bins are located inside the bin shed to the left as you leave Hall entrance, facing Bateson Hall.

Bateson Hall

  • General waste Purple bins are located inside the bin shed to the right of the reception entrance recycling bins.
  • Recycling Green Space bins are located outside Bateson Hall, between reception main entrance and the general
    waste bin shed.

Harry Law Hall

  • General waste Purple bins and Recycling Green Space Recycling bins are placed in various locations around the basement car park.

Trafalgar Hall

  • General waste Purple bins are located outside the bin shed at the side of the building to the right as you leave the Hall entrance.
  • Recycling Green Space bins are located at the side of the building to the right as you leave the Hall entrance.

James Watson Hall

  • The General waste chute is located on the podium between N and A Blocks.  Please place any bulky items on the floor next to the chute.
  • The Recycling waste chute is located on the podium between D and N Blocks.  Please place any bulky items on the floor next to the chute.

Langstone Student Village

Recycling

All kitchens/pantries in Langstone Student Village have a separate recycling bin containing a clear plastic bag. 

Please place all suitable recyclable materials (list displayed on front of bin) into the bin. Once the bag is full, take it down to your nearest GreenSpacebin (outside your Hall). Drop the bag and contents directly into the bin.

Please do not place black plastic bags into Green Space bins as they will contaminate the whole container and will not be collected by the contractors working for the Halls of Residence.

General waste

Your kitchen/pantry has a separate bin for general waste containing a black plastic bag.  When the bin is full please place the bag and contents into the general waste Purple bins as indicated on the site map.

Please remember: Clear bags for recycling, Black bags for general waste

Location of external bins

  • Download a map showing the locations of General waste Purple and Recycling Green Space bins.
  • In addition there are wheelie bins next to the QEQM entrances where you can dispose of your recycling items.

Rees Hall and Burrell House

Recycling and General waste

At Rees Hall you have a Recycling bin and a General waste bin in your study bedroom.  Please make a correct use of them.  The contents of both bins should be taken to your refuse points located in the pantries on each floor.

Burrell House Recycling and General waste bins are located in the kitchens and at the entrance to the car park.
Please remember:  It is your responsibility to dispose of rubbish.

WEEE Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is a piece of legislation created by the Environment Agency covering the whole of the European Union that aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic waste that ends up in landfill sites.

It is a legal requirement that you do not to place these items into general or recycling waste bins. Your Hall reception staff will advise you about how to dispose of electrical and electronic equipment.

The list of items covered by the WEEE directive is extensive and covers items such as:

  • small appliances (kettles, irons, toasters, coffee machines, electric toothbrushes, and so on)
  • IT and telecommunications equipment (PCs, laptops, monitors, keyboards, printers, cordless phones)
  • consumer equipment (radios, TVs, DVD players, video recorders, and so on)
  • lighting equipment ( low-energy Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs))
  • electric tools (drills, saws, sewing machines, and so on) - only large, stationary industrial tools are exempt
  • electric toys, sport and leisure equipment (electric trains, game consoles, cycle computers, and so on)

Switch it off – Turn it down

Act on CO2

The UK Higher Education sector emits three million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. At the University of Portsmouth we are committed to reducing these high levels and various initiatives are under way to help improve these figures.

Now it really is over to you as a student to become more carbon friendly.  Please don’t leave lights, computers and other electronic equipment on when you’re not in your room.

At Halls of Residence we hope that the yellow Switch It Off stickers will help remind you to switch your lights off when you leave your room.

This is also good practice to get used to for when you move to private accommodation. Think of all the money you will save by getting into good practices now as well as helping reduce your University’s carbon footprint.

You can follow the progress in your Hall of Residence by checking the energy rating that will be displayed regularly on the environmental notice board in each foyer.

Energy certificates/noticeboards

Each Hall of Residence has been environmentally assessed and given its own energy certificate. These ratings are based on energy consumption and building efficiency and scale between 'A' (highly efficient) to 'E' (Very poor). Look out for your building’s energy rating displayed on the environmental noticeboard alongside the building’s monthly recycling statistics.

Environmental Champions

Environmental Champions are students who volunteer to encourage their flat mates to have a greener attitude towards living, saving energy, money and reducing carbon emissions.

One of the key aims is to get your fellow students to think twice before putting something into the bin or leaving their room with all the lights and electrical equipment still on.

Environmental Champions are supported by Environmental Ambassadors, who will encourage to volunteer and support you in your role during your stay in Halls of Residence.

Ultimately, you will all move out into private accommodation, where you have to pay your own utility bills. By getting into good habits now, you will save money throughout your university life.

If you are interested in:

  • the environment
  • reducing Halls carbon footprint
  • increasing recycling rates

Then sign up as an Environmental Champion when your Environmental Ambassadors come round to your Hall looking for volunteers.