1 Apr 2019
Grime Scene Investigation: Part 2
As part of Environment and Ethics Fortnight, a second Grime Scene Investigation took place at the Students’ Union last month which looked at the waste and recycling from 16 halls.
Organised by the University’s Sustainability Team and Loughborough Students’ Union, the audit recently took place to analyse whether the waste quality had improved since the first Grime Scene Investigation in November 2018.
Leicester County Council, the University’s waste contractor, Enva, and Charnwood Borough Council were also in attendance on the day and joined forces with students to support the initiative and educate students on how to recycle correctly.
Almost 100 bags of waste and recycling were audited by student volunteers on the day to determine how successfully waste streams are being managed by each Hall.
The investigation found that since November, less food was found in general waste, with 21kg less than before. However, there were still food items found that should not have been disposed of, such as an entire broccoli and a whole pizza.
Halls across campus had also improved overall on recycling since last semester, with 72% of materials being correctly placed in recycling bins, compared to 66% at the last investigation.
Tom Calcluth, FREEC Chair, commented: “Taking part in the Grime Scene Investigation serves as a fantastic opportunity to display ongoing waste issues in halls in a tangible and engaging fashion – not only for volunteers taking part, but for all staff and students walking by.”
Nik Hunt, Environmental Manager at the University, added: “It was great to see so many waste and recycling partners working together to engage with the students on improving the management of waste and recycling.
“General waste costs us around £200 per tonne to dispose of, whereas recycling from halls is collected free of charge, so there is both a significant environmental and financial incentive to improving this.
He continued: “Engagement is key to raising awareness about both waste reduction but also increased recycling, and we are delighted at what has been done so far this year.”
For a full breakdown of the results from part 2 of Grime Scene Investigation, check out the graphs below to see how each hall of residence did.
