Minimising waste and maximising opportunities to recycle are core activities at UNSW. In principle, the UNSW strategy is to work “towards zero waste”. To turn this principle into reality we have to find new ways of transforming waste into resources.

In terms of waste recovery on campus, UNSW actively manages materials ranging from hazardous substances, paper, toner cartridges, food waste and garden vegetation, containers, computers and other electronic equipment, stationery, furniture, laboratory equipment, hard waste, batteries and plastics.

Bottles, cans and general waste are delivered to WSN Environmental Solutions. From here waste material goes into its UR-3R facility at Eastern Creek in western Sydney where more than 70 percent of waste materials are recovered. This innovative process replaces individual can and bottle recycling bins, which generally only achieve low-level recovery rates. The result is that the University has increased recycling rates to the stage where it has already surpassed the New South Wales Government's 2014 waste reduction and resource recovery targets. For more information on this process please visit the WSN Environmental Solutions website.

The University has adopted a Towards Zero Waste program that positions UNSW as a leader in the tertiary sector in resource recovery and waste minimisation. Details of all the UNSW services provided are available from the website link above.

Every Australian is estimated to produce 1.1 tonnes of the garbage going into landfills a year. This makes Australia second to the US among all OECD countries in waste generation (OECD 1999). Source: Australia State of the Environment Report 2006.