Decoding campus waste labels ♻️

We've all been there, standing in front of three different bins holding your plate, feeling the high-pressure to be quick from the person waiting patiently behind you, all while trying to guess which bin is the right one for your waste. 

And your latte cup might feel like a small thing, but when thousands of us get it wrong, that's when it starts to have a big impact.

So we want to make getting your waste in the right bin easy. Follow our handy guide to waste in our outlets. 

Our food outlets and campus use a colour-coded bin system to separate waste: green for dry mixed recycling, blue for paper recycling, brown for food waste, red for coffee cup recycling and grey for general waste.

Which coloured bin should I use?

Brown bins - Food waste

• Any food scraps including fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread and more
• Teabags
• Coffee grounds

Important: no packaging can be disposed of here.

Red bins - Coffee cup recycling

These bins are only for single-use hot drink cups. Simply separate the leftover liquid, lid and the cup in the respective compartments. 

If you can't locate your nearest red bin: please put your hot drinks cups in general waste, not mixed recycling. 

Plus, don't forget that you can save some money and waste by using a reusable cup on campus instead. 

Green bins - Dry mixed recycling

• Plastic bottles
• Paper and card
• Drink cans and food tins
• Glass
• Drink and food cartons

Remember to not put any coffee cups, liquids, food or tissues in the green bins as this can cause contamination, meaning none of the bins contents can be recycled. 

Blue bins - Paper recycling

• Paper
• Card

If there is no blue bin: use the green mixed recycling bin instead.

Grey bins - General waste

• Plastic bags, packaging and wrappers
• Crisp packets
• Tissues, napkins and paper towels
• Polystyrene
• Single-use hot drinks cups (if you can't find the red coffee cup recycling bins)

Tips for being more sustainable on campus ♻️

1. Head to Beaver's Brew for a plastic-free lunch.
2. Start reusing, whether that's getting a new water bottle or reusable cup to limit disposables.
3. Bring in a reusable container for any leftovers. 
4. Keep an eye out for end of the day discounts, and download Too Good To Go for surplus food in LSE outlets at a discounted price. 

We all have a shared responsibility for recycling correctly, and if you're unsure what goes in which bin around campus, you can refer to LSE's Material and Waste Guidance for support or contact: sustainability.team@lse.ac.uk

Let's work together to make each plate count!