Case Study
University College Birmingham
University College Birmingham is a campus based in the centre of the UK’s largest regional city, and was awarded full University status back in 2012. The University now boasts 7,500 students studying an immense range of different courses, as well as a growing portfolio of apprentices. In 2018, they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their official opening as Birmingham College of Food and Domestic Arts, carried out by the Royal Duke of Edinburgh.
With waste management becoming a more pressing issue, UCB expressed that they had experienced a lack of understanding and communication with regards to how their waste was being managed. This cause for concern led to them seeking a solution that would provide more sustainability and structure to their waste management.
University College Birmingham accommodates several sites; Summer Row, McIntyre House, Richmond Way, The Maltings and Cambrian House, all of which are within a short distance of the heart of the city centre. Their quest was to segregate and recycle as much waste as possible in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
B&M is a Carbon Neutral company which provides total waste management to reduce environmental impacts innovatively.
The University College Birmingham gained a solution to their waste management problems by partnering up with B&M Waste Services who visited and audited UCB to see what they could do to meet their needs. B&M proposed colour coded segregated bins for general waste, paper and car, and plastic bottles, which would be 100% diverted from landfill and either sent to a facility for conversion into green energy, or recycled into new products.
Nick Reader, Facilities and Operations Manager at UCB expressed his joy with the partnership and frames the university’s ongoing goal of boasting sustainability and environmental policy.
He discussed how ”The partnership we’re going to have with B&M moving forward is all the things we’ve been looking for, for quite a while. We are currently trying to attain eco-campus status, and by working with B&M we will achieve this in a very short time I’m sure.’’
Area Sales Manager of B&M Waste, Sean Sudworth, discussed his thoughts on the upcoming partnership with UCB: ”Its a great project to be involved with as it’s essentially a blank canvas to work with to improve the waste management within the University, where we will able to reduce recycling as well as lowering the costs incurred by the University.”
In addition to this, students of UCB have been very forthcoming in expressing their desire to segregate and recycle and have been doing so in their student accommodation. The commitment shown expresses how the students are joining forces with B&M Waste Services and is a significant development of the work that is already taking place around the campus.
