UK higher education produces large quantities of solid waste, which is expensive to manage and dispose of. No one knows how much because very few universities or colleges collect data. But they will need to know more about their total waste volumes, and the individual fractions (such as recyclable paper) within it, in the future as a result of:

Rising costs – disposal of trade waste is becoming more expensive because of higher operating standards and increases in landfill tax (from £21 in 2006 to a predicted £34 a tonne in 2008) whilst removal of domestic waste from student residences may also be charged separately in future (rather than being indirectly funded by council tax payments)

General social – and therefore political – concern about waste disposal, resulting in demands to minimise waste generation and increase levels of recycling to reduce requirements for landfill and to conserve resources.

Tighter regulations on hazardous wastes, which put more waste into this category and therefore raise costs (and potential liabilities further) as they require more secure storage and disposal than general wastes.