The starting point for any successful actions are a good knowledge of waste streams and what happens to them. The University of Bath demonstrates best practice in this, with a lot of data, definitions, guidance and other information on its Intranet .

Once the waste data is completed, it is likely to highlight a number of strategic options which could be taken, including:

• Setting and achieving target
• Getting better data from/relationship with contractors
• Compaction
• Segregation/recycling
• Waste minimisation initiatives.

Many commercial organisations have found setting and achieving targets - and assigning responsibility for achieving them to be a powerful means of reducing waste generation and costs. Consultation with the people who can influence success – including cleaners and students – is also important. The most ambitious target would be that set by Massey University in New Zealand, which aim to be a zero waste campus by 2015.

It's not always easy to get data from waste contractors but it can be done. One secret is to have a nominated manager at the waste contractor. Another is to follow the examples of Derby, Bradford and Leeds Metropolitan Universities – summarised in a HEEPI case - and introduce a ‘pay by weight' contract. This involves weighing each waste container collected. The better information this creates allows better matching of collection with demand, with consequent financial savings. Over the last 3 years, Derby has reduced the average number of bin empties per week by approximately 20% and the average monthly number of bins on site by 13%.

Reducing the bulk of waste by compressing enables trucks to pick up more materials (potentially reducing transportation costs and saving time, money and fuel, and therefore vehicle emissions), reduces the storage constraints which sometimes makes it difficult to achieve greater separation of waste, and ‘stretches' landfill capacity. These generally outweigh the higher energy consumption and financial cost of running the compactor.

UMIST, for example, recently invested in a mobile compaction unit, which is capable of carrying 15 tons of waste. Bins are emptied into this rather than a waste contractor's skip. This greatly reduces the number of uplifts needed and therefore travel by contractor's vehicles – certainly more than enough to compensate for the additional fuel used by the compactor.

Segregating waste into different streams usually increases costs. Although prices for recycled materials have been volatile and often low in recent years it is important to do it because:

• Increased recycling and reuse means reduced costs of waste disposal, especially if these increase as predicted
• It is a high profile issue for students, especially those coming from Northern Europe or North America
• There is likely to be continuing Government and public pressure to increase the rate of recycling and reuse.

Some institutions (e.g. Bradford and LMU) do this by working through their waste contractor, who is allowed to keep any income from recycling as an incentive. Derby took a different approach by sub-contracting collection of recyclable materials to local enterprises.

The ultimate ambition of waste management with in any sector or industry is to be able to produce minimal - or even no waste - whilst being able to go about its normal business operations. However in practice this is difficult to achieve and requires the support of all parties from senior management to students.

Sheffield College has also achieved considerable success in waste minimisation through a targeted programme. This has included:

• Reusing paper for printing out draft documents and a segregated waste paper.
• Collection boxes for empty beverage cans
• Ordering engine oil centrally and charging departments for use, which has halved consumption.