Going plastic-free
News
Bath Spa University bins single-use cups in favour of going plastic-free
Friday, 24 May, 2019As part of its commitment to continually improve its green credentials, Bath Spa University has permanently removed single-use cups from its own catering outlets and water machines across all campuses.
Since encouraging students, staff and visitors to use their own reusable cups and bottles last summer, the University has already saved more than 60,000 plastic cups from going to waste when compared to the same time last year.
The University is aiming to completely eliminate the usage of all single-use cups throughout its estate by 2020. Currently, two out of three of its performance venues are proudly plastic-free, while the third offers drinks in reusable polycarbonate glasses.
Dr Julian Greaves, Sustainability Manager at Bath Spa University, said: “I am delighted to see how well our plastic-free initiative has been received by the Bath Spa community. We pride ourselves on caring for students, staff and, of course, our precious environment. Sustainability is a key part of our fabric and this is reflected in our overall sustainability strategy, which is underpinned by our primary commitment to be ethically-led. We truly are working to make the world a better place, one student at a time.”
Over the last ten years, the University has continued to improve its environmental performance. It has reduced its carbon emissions by over 50% per m2, an impressive 80% of all University waste is recycled, and biodiversity at its sites is thriving thanks to its biodiversity and habitat management plan.
More recently, the University expanded its estates-based activities to ensure that issues relating to sustainability are addressed in all of its degree courses. The sustainability team has recruited a second year Bath Spa University BSc Environmental Science student, Asher Griffin Moore, to conduct research into this area.
As part of his Biology Work Placement module, Asher has been assessing to what extent Bath Spa University is incorporating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into the curricula for every single course. The results will soon be analysed and used to map out further sustainability improvements across the University.
You can read the full Bath Spa University Sustainability Strategy online and keep up-to-date with the sustainability team’s latest information on the Green Focus web page.