general waste

Welcome to the waste directory - general waste

What should be placed in general waste?

Anything which is non-hazardous and would not be better reused or recycled can be treated as general waste.

What is included?

Yes

Yes

  • Non-hazardous items which cannot be recycled
  • Broken glass
  • Window glass
  • Cookware glass eg Pyrex
  • Incandescent light bulbs
  • see guidance
  • Paper cups
  • Vending machine cups
  • Soft plastics
  • All plastic films and bags
  • Plastic cutlery
  • Polystyrene
  • Crisp packets
  • Plastic type 4 (LDPE)
  • Plastic type 6 (PS)
  • Plastic type 7
  • Other plastics
  • Food contaminated items
  • Waxed paper cups
  • Crisp packets
  • Tissues / serviettes
  • Kitchen roll
  • Hand towels
  • Jiffy bags

Waste hierarchy

What happens to this waste stream?

0% reused
0% recycled
92% recovered
0% incinerated
8% landfilled

General waste stream

Where do I put general waste?

  • Items which are non-hazardous and cannot be reused or recycled should be placed in the black-topped general waste bin.

If you require a waste clearance of bulky items that do not fit in the bin please contact the Soft Services Team on efsupportteam@imperial.ac.uk and they can advise of the best way to dispose of your waste.

Who empties the bin?

  • The bins are emptied on a regular basis by the cleaning team.
  • Sacks are colour coded and will generally be transported to a compounded area via a trolley.
  • Sacks are placed into a the appropriate Eurocart (usually located in a locked compound) or into a compactor.

What happens then?

  • The vast majority of our general waste is sent for incineration with energy recovery.

How green is this waste stream?

  • The bins are re-used but sacks are required for each consignment.
  • Most general waste is used to create energy by being burned at an incinerator where the heat is used to create steam to drive turbines and produce electricity as well as heat local homes through a district heating system.
  • Incineration is favourable to landfill but it is important that we do not waste good resources by incinerating them.

General waste represents 37% of our total waste.


Contacts

efsupportteam@imperial.ac.uk