From our morning take-away coffee, to that print document we don’t need anymore and the office furniture being replaced, the waste we generate daily adds up to a significand environment impact.Waste and recycling management play a critical role in reducing the University’s environmental footprint and embedding circular economy principles across campus. This work goes beyond managing waste at the end of its life, it includes reducing waste at the source, keeping materials in use for longer and recovering valuable resources wherever possible throughout our operations.
With waste generation closely tied to procurement, construction and everyday campus activities, coordinated action across operations and community behaviour is critical.
See key highlights from our waste and recycling work below or explore our progress in our various reports and publications.
Our approach
Reducing waste and improving resource recovery requires coordinated action across infrastructure, procurement, operations and everyday behaviours. Our approach applies the waste hierarchy — avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle and recover — to guide all activities and procurement decisions. This includes improving collection systems and infrastructure, reducing contamination of recycling streams, supporting behaviour change, and integrating waste data into planning and reporting processes.
Key focus areas include:
- Extending the life of goods by prioritising reuse, repair and redistribution programs.
- Improving recycling and composting systems to increase recovery rates and reduce waste to landfill.
- Supporting product stewardship and circularity through responsible disposal pathways.
- Enhancing soil health and nutrient cycles by returning biodegradable materials, such as food and green waste, to composting, thereby supporting land regeneration.
Our goal
Reduce waste generation and maximise the recovery of materials and resources from all campus waste streams.
Our targets
To support a more circular campus, ANU has set the following targets under the Environmental Sustainability Plan 2026–2030. These targets contribute to outcomes under the Waste & Recycling, Goods & Services, Built Environment and Landscapes & Ecosystems pillars and supports emissions reductions under the Climate Action strategic driver.
- Divert 50% of waste across both non-residential areas and student residences from landfill by 2030
- Reduce emissions from waste to landfill by 55% by 2030 (2024 base year)
Our progress
ANU continues to improve waste reduction and resource recovery outcomes through system upgrades, targeted pilots and community education.
Major improvements introduced in 2024 and 2025 including our new waste streams and Be Bin Smart Toolkit, expanded organics collection and behaviour change programs helped to further divert waste from landfill on campus. For more details view the Environmental Sustainability Report.
Recent progress also includes the elimination of single-use plastics across the Acton Campus in 2024, in addition to specialist recycling initiatives, such as solvent recovery in teaching laboratories and container deposit scheme collection points, which are helping to recover valuable materials and reduce emissions.
Our progress is reviewed regularly and published through various reports and publications.
Be Bin Smart
Use our practical tips and resources to sort waste correctly, reduce contamination and make smarter everyday choices on campus.
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Common recycling and waste misconception
Explore common waste and recycling misconceptions seen on campus.
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What happens to food waste at ANU?
Learn how our food waste is collected, processed and returned to productive use as part of a closed loop system.
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Container Deposit Scheme collection
Dispose of eligible containers on campus to support our circular economy and reinvest into sustainability initiatives.
Find out moreANU staff or student? Join the ANU Green Network.
Stay up to date on sustainability at ANU.
