Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
We try to reduce waste and recycle where possible and have increased the waste diverted from landfill from 140 tonnes in 2019 to 221 tonnes in 2023.
We have an industrial composter onsite in Hamilton called OSCA that can process 100kg of mixed organic waste every day turning it into usable compost within two months.
We have a new arrangement with PB Tech to ensure all our used IT equipment is recycled as much as possible.
We opened a new second-hand store on campus called Rewind in conjunction with Hospiceshop Waikato.
Our comprehensive Waste Minimisation and Management Plan (PDF, 2.1MB) lays out a clear roadmap for reducing and recycling waste on campus. We annually assess waste and report on how we are tracking and work closely with our students, staff and suppliers to change mindsets and behaviour.
The Plan contains actions relating to:
Through successive waste audits we have discovered around two-thirds of our waste to landfill is recyclable, the largest components being food waste, glass bottles, paper and plastic packaging. We are constantly innovating and educating our people to improve this result.
Through our partnership with PB Tech the University of Waikato is committed to reducing waste at all points in the life-cycle of our computing equipment. This starts with minimising packaging and shipping emissions associated with new IT equipment, and goes through to reducing e-waste by reusing, reselling, and recycling equipment at the end of its life-cycle.
To prolong the useful life of laptops and reduce e-waste, staff members are given the option of purchasing their old laptops once they reach the age where they are scheduled for replacement. If a staff member does not choose to purchase their old laptop, it will be sent to PB Tech for assessment.
PB Tech assesses all computing equipment decommissioned in the university, which includes staff computers, as well as computers in labs and teaching spaces. High quality laptops and computer lab desktops are donated to a Waikato Schools program who rebuild computers and target donations across the region to address student inequity. All good quality desktops are refurbished and onsold by PB Tech into the New Zealand market for a second life. All remaining e-waste is gathered by PB Tech, who then send it to Echo Tech, a specialist e-waste recycler, who disassembles the devices to recover the reusable parts. This ensures that components will be reused and recycled where possible, with harmful pollutants diverted from landfill.
The University of Waikato is leading a multidisciplinary project, Āmiomio Aotearoa, focused on developing a circular economy concept for Aotearoa, New Zealand. The project aims to reduce waste and develop a more sustainable model of production and consumption with a focus on the construction and packaging industries.
Led by Professor Kim Pickering, a global expert in materials engineering, Āmiomio Aotearoa is backed by $10.9 million courtesy of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). It brings together a diverse range of people including scientists, engineers, business experts and policy advisors to focus on waste reduction in the construction and packaging industries, incorporating Indigenous perspectives and traditional Māori knowledge (mātauranga Māori).
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