Waste impacts us all, and from the individual to large business, everyone produces it. On average, each person in the UK throws away their own body weight in waste every seven weeks! At Greenwich, our waste generation has been reducing over the years, but many challenges remain. Our Waste Action Plan is ambitious and lays out adaptable targets and steps over the next five years. Reuse @ Greenwich is our circular economy initiative, with five branching projects aimed to tackle unnecessary waste across differing elements of the university. Those five branching projects are:
Furniture Reuse
Aimed at staff, this is all about relocating quality items of furniture from one part of the university to another!
If your area is in need of a new chair, desk, or storage item please check the reuse catalogue before buying new. Contact reuse@greenwich.ac.uk to find out what is currently available. Items your department no longer need? If the item is in good condition (not broken or with missing parts) let us know.
Since relaunching the furniture reuse scheme in November 2019, the University has:
- avoided over £290,000 from purchasing new items
- saved over 46 tonnes of waste by reusing items
- avoided over 112 tonnes of carbon emissions from the procurement of new items
Items are only available for internal re-use, not for any external sales outside of the University. Research is undertaken locally for donations, for any items that are no longer required. To date we have managed to donate unwanted (but quality) items to local care homes, libraries, NHS trusts and schools. We have:
- donated over 2400 items.
- saved over 46 tonnes of waste (us having to dispose of items otherwise)
- saved over £173,500 from those organisations otherwise having to buy new items.
- saved over 86 tonnes of carbon emissions (from those organisations buying items)
End of Term Reuse
End of Term Reuse has been running since 2011! Managed by the Student post within the Sustainability Team, this campaign is all about encouraging students to donate items they no longer need prior to the end of term. This not only helps those less unfortunate, but it saves on waste, carbon emissions and can raise much needed funds for charitable causes.
Since 2018, we have partnered with the British Heart Foundation’s Pack for Good Campaign. On average students donate over 1,200 bags of items each year!
Big red boxes will appear, and donation banks are permanently located at Avery Hill and Medway. Only clean and unbroken items are allowed. This includes, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery and other utensils, clothing, working electrical items, books, games. No knives, bedding or underwear.
Bargain Corner
Bargain Corner is our second-hand charity shop at Medway, based within the Pilkington building. Started by former Chaplain Lynne Martin, it is now jointly managed by the Sustainability Team and Chaplaincy.
From kitchenware to clothes and books to stationery, it offers cheap items of quality donated by others to students. Working on an honesty approach, if budgets are tight items can still be taken. All sales revenue goes back into the Corner or sustainability initiatives. It offers volunteer opportunities through our Green Ambassador Programme.
Clothes Swap
The original idea was created by a student society in 2021. They wanted to tackle fast fashion and raise awareness for slavery within the industry. Three successful events later, the students were graduating.
Wanting to continue the legacy, the project was adopted by the Sustainability Team who launched their own style of swaps in 2023.
It offers volunteer opportunities through our Green Ambassador Programme and works through tokens; depending on the quality of item donated a number of tokens will be given and can be used to purchase a new wardrobe.
Stationery & Book Corners
Small in scale, across the campuses you will find stationery and book corners; locations offering free stationery and books to anyone that required them.
Hundreds have been taken by students and staff since the first corner showed up in 2024. The largest corner can be found in Greenwich, within the reception of the Queen Mary building.
