The Imperial College of London is a leading educational institution and one very much committed with the environment too. Quantum Waste has been supporting Imperial College for years in its efforts to recover food waste and minimize their carbon footprint.

Back in 2010, Imperial College made a strong commitment with the environment: To reduce their carbon footprint by 20 per cent over a five-year period. When in 2011 Quantum Waste approached Imperial College with an innovative scheme for the decentralized composting of food waste their waste management team was quick to take up the challenge!

The logistics were easy enough: Evening collections of food waste bags from the Evelyn Gardens student residence halls. The challenge seemed to be convincing the students to adopt food waste recycling.

Quantum Waste, with the continued support of Imperial College’s waste management team, started a campaign of presentations first to student leaders, then to the dormitory wardens and finally to the students. Within a month the change in the recycling patterns of the student halls was evident:

• Since that initial project at Evelyn Gardens more student halls have been added to the food waste recycling scheme and the culture of food waste recycling has really sank in. Now Senior students mentor the Junior ones and the good recycling rates are kept year after year.
• Imperial College is now working to design its own food waste collection bins with a view to roll out those bins into all its facilities and maximize food waste recycling rates.
• Thank you to Nic, Carlos, Helen, Roger and the rest of the team for your continued support and guidance.