Conscious consumption and circularity
We’re committed to demonstrating leadership in the reduction of our waste and water-use and improving our management of these systems. We’re making changes to improve procurement practices to enable ethically and sustainably sourced products, as well as affordable, healthy and culturally acceptable food and beverages on campus.
Targets
- Send zero waste to landfill by 2030.
- Reduce our reliance on potable water (per person) by 30% by 2030.
- Have 100% of food and beverage items sold in University owned or leased outlets to be ethically and sustainably sourced by 2025.
See the Sustainability Strategy 2020 (pdf, 3.1MB) Pillar 2: Strategies 7,10,11, 12 for the complete list of targets.
Recent highlights
- Installed 36 external smart bins, including new food waste bins.
- Installed of additional 14 Hydrawise stations (47 in total) saving over 14.5 million litres of potable water.
- 10kg of pens, razors and oral care products diverted from landfill via our hard-to-recycle Enabler Wall.
See our full Sustainability Annual Report 2023 (pdf, 8.1MB) here.
Case study
In celebration of World Vegan Day in November 2023, we partnered with Forum Restaurant and LoveBUDS Grill to provide exclusive all-day vegan menus, encouraging our staff and students to try new foods and reflect on how their food choices impact the planet.
Funding: Sustainability team
Project partners: Forum Restaurant and LoveBUDS Grill (University of Sydney Union)
Initiatives
A closed loop organic biodigester has been installed at the Camperdown/ Darlington Campus to divert organic waste from landfill on-site.
The innovative aerobic machine can recycle food scraps, coffee and tea waste, and street sweepings into garden compost - to be used across the University grounds.
This project was supported by the Environmental Trust, as part of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy.
The University partnered with Green Caffeen to launch the reusuable cup program across Camperdown/ Darlington Campus, Camden campus and the Conservationism of Music in 2022.
By year end, our community saved 3,372 single-use cups from landfill, the equivalent of 34 otto bins worth of cups.
We launched our hard-to-recycle Enabler Wall in the Wentworth Building, providing a dedicated place for our community to recycle items that are difficult to do so in normal waste streams such as face masks, disposable razors, batteries, dental products, pens, and e-waste.
In 2023, the wall diverted 10kg of pens, razors, and oral care products from landfill.
In 2021, the University Infrastructure Team partnered with PanelCycle to recycle and repurpose over 15,000m2 of non-compliant aluminium composite cladding from landfill.
The University Infrastructure Team has also hosted three furniture sales to resell University furniture that would otherwise end up in landfill. 215 furniture items weighing 3389kg have been saved from landfill through these sales.
We utilise Hydrawise, a smart irrigation system used across our Camperdown/Darlington Campus to minimise water wastage when watering our landscapes.
In 2023, we installed Hydrawise stations at an additional 14 sites, taking our total number to 47 across Camperdown and Darlington campuses.
We also employ water-sensitive urban design and infrastructure in our buildings and grounds to recapture stormwater to be used on our Quadrangle lawns, instead of potable water.