Managing and disposing of waste is already expensive and time consuming for UK further and higher education – more so than most people imagine because it includes costs such as:

• Waste contractors fees
• Landfill tax
• Labour costs (at least 1 FTE in even medium-sized institutions)
• Equipment and materials costs
• Purchase costs of materials and equipment which end up as waste.

The Government's Envirowise programme estimates that the true cost of waste in UK businesses is usually over 4% of turnover. However, waste minimisation initiatives have shown that this cost can often be reduced by 25%.

Waste costs will also increase further as a result of:

• The European Landfill Directive – this requires separation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste and greater recycling (the UK target is to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled in 2016-2020 by around 66% from current levels). This will increase the costs of landfill by £2-40 per tonne, depending on the waste stream.
• Landfill tax – the target is to raise this from its current level of £15 per tonne to £35 per tonne over the next decade or so.
• The European Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive – this is intended to boost recycling and reuse of ICT and other electronic equipment, and will cost organisations around £217-455 million per annum.

Waste disposal charges can be reduced in three main ways:

• By installation of on-site compactors (which reduces cost associated with transport and disposal, which are based on volume rather than weight)
• By increased separation of recyclable materials
• By reduced generation of waste.

In addition to these financial drivers, more effective waste minimisation and management can also create benefits through:

• Reducing potential health and safety and other liabilities arising from poor waste practices
• Enhancing a college or university's reputation for environmental management, which can help recruitment and strengthen community relations.

For all these reasons, doing more to manage and minimise your waste will pay off in coming years.