Recycling and Waste Disposal

Be a ‘good neighbour’ to the environment: reduce, reuse, recycle

In our shared accommodation, we are extremely keen to reduce the amount of general waste that we produce. The University has targeted a 40% reduction in the non residential recycling rate by 2025. 100% of waste in our main waste supplier contract for 33 St Giles is diverted from landfill.

As part of our recycling strategy, we provide an appropriate number of food waste caddies, general rubbish bins, and recycling bins in the kitchens of every property (guided by local authority guidelines on the number of bins per people in the household).  These include:

• Food caddies, general waste, and recycling bins in our common areas will be emptied twice weekly by housekeeping
• Beyond this overflowing bins are our students’ responsibility
• You are responsible for sorting your own dry mixed recycling (see our guidelines below)
• Students are responsible for sorting and emptying waste from your bedroom.

In 16-17 St John St, the waste point where the collection bins can be found is located behind the rear garden door.  These bins are currently serviced by Oxford Direct Services and will have ‘Oxford City Council’ branding on them.

In 33 St Giles, the waste point can be found outside of the ground floor garden door in a shared utility area.  Our general rubbish and recycling bins are labeled with red signs that say ‘Blackfriars Hall.’  Our students are permitted to use the University of Oxford’s separate food wast and glass waste bins located in the same area.

See our cleaning schedules for information on when bins are collected from each site, and our waste management plan for a summary on how we manage waste in compliance with local authority requirements.

Hygiene bins

To support a clean, safe, and comfortable living environment, Blackfriars Hall also provides hygiene bins in all student accommodation. A specialist external contractor empties all hygiene bins once a month as part of our routine schedule. For security and the protection of our residents, the contractor is escorted through buildings by a member of the Blackfriars Bursary team.  The bins are located in the following places:

• 16–17 St John Street: Hygiene bins are placed in one of the communal bathrooms in each house.
• 33 St Giles: Small hygiene bins are provided in the en?suite bathrooms on a case by case basis when students need them.

Hygiene bins are strictly for sanitary waste only.  Please do not place general rubbish or recycling in these bins.  If a bin becomes full between scheduled collections, please contact the Bursary team for assistance.

Be part of the solution: consume sustainably

We recommend that everyone reads the University’s Sustainable consumption guide, which covers actions that we can all take on plastic, fashion, packaging, food, cosmetics, and other resources.  These are everyday steps that will help reduce how much waste is being thrown out, and how much is being sent to landfill.

Bulky items and choosing donation over disposal

In Trinity Term, we offer a donation bin system in the MCR where you will be able to dispose of a variety of items, ranging from unwanted clothes to disused crockery.

More information about what exactly can be donated and arranging for collection of bulky items can be found on the British Heart Foundation website, and more about the City Council’s very helpful used textile collection service can be found on the City Council website.

Recycling Guide:  How to sort your rubbish (check our signage below):

• Mixed Recycling: clean paper/card, cans/tins, plastic bottles/tubs/trays.
• Food Waste: food scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds.
• Glass: rinse bottles/jars; remove lids (glass waste sorting is available in 33 St Giles only)
• General Waste: items that can’t be recycled.

Helpful guides: see the University’s A–Z of recycling for a comprehensive list of which items you can put in which bin.

Mixed Recycling (Green Bin)

Please rinse glass bottles, jars, cartons, plastic bottles and cans, as this helps to keep your bin clean. Squashing recycling also saves space in your bin and the collection vehicle.

The following cannot be recycled in the blue recycling bin:

• Black bin liners
• Crisp packets
• Coffee machine pods
• Hard plastic (e.g. storage boxes)
• Plastic toys/gadgets
• Polystyrene foam
• Sweet/chocolate wrappers
• Please do not contaminate your recycling with food waste.

Food waste (Red Bin)

Food waste bins are located in all student accommodation in the shared kitchens.

The following cannot be recycled in your food waste:

• Compostable cups and packaging (these have to go into the waste bins)
• Glass
• Non-food products
• Packaging
• Vegware packaging (these have to go into the waste bins)

You can line your caddy with any of the following:

• Plastic carrier bags
• Supermarket carrier bags (including bags for life)
• Pedal bin liners (not black bags)
• Other plastic bags (e.g. bread bags and salad bags)
• Compostable bags
• Newspaper

See our poster below;