Best universities for recycling and sustainability 2024

By seeta.bhardwa@…, 3 July, 2024

Plastic use has become one of the biggest issues of this generation, with bottles, bags, food packaging and straws littering our beaches and clogging up our oceans.

While we have a long way to go to rectify this, there are many things you can do to help preserve the planet. And one of those is holding your university to account and understanding what it’s doing to consume materials responsibly.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings is a good place to start if you are looking to see which universities are dedicated to reducing plastic waste, minimising the use of disposable items and working to recycle more, and which have policies in place for sourcing ethical goods.

To put together this ranking, we mapped how universities around the world are committing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global call to action to tackle poverty, climate change and inequality.

The SDGs look to tackle some of today’s biggest global issues, and SDG 12 covers responsible consumption and production. More on the methodology for this ranking can be found here.

=1. Bournemouth University

Bournemouth University takes joint first place in this year’s table for SDG 12. 

The university has committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030/31. The steps to achieve this are outlined in its Campus Heat Decarbonisation Plan.

Bournemouth University is focused on reducing overall waste per person through a range of different measures including encouraging students to refill their bottles and a returnable cup scheme, which has reduced disposable coffee cup waste. 

The university offers guidance on what can and can’t be recycled and provides points throughout the campus where students and staff can dispose of non-recyclable products correctly. 

=1. King’s College London

King’s College London has created a Waste and Resource Strategy and Action Plan, which outlines the institution’s plan to increase recycling and reduce waste. 

Its has set the target to reduce operational waste by 30 per cent and increase recycling to 60 per cent by 2023-24. The university also operates a zero waste to landfill policy.

The plan outlines how different waste is collected and disposed of and encourages students and staff to use the correct bins on campus to support this. 

3. University of Reading

The University of Reading is working with students to embed sustainability and sustainable development into all courses to educate students about the importance of sustainable living.

In addition to this, the university offers a range of modules on environmental and social issues to all undergraduate students, regardless of which faculty they are studying in. There is also a free online two-week course in which you can investigate the impact of climate change and the research being done into it.

The university has a range of sustainability projects, including the Research Woodland and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme.


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4. Western Sydney University

In 2017, Western Sydney University signed the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Higher Education Commitment. This means that it has committed to undertaking research in sustainable development, providing courses for students in sustainable development and responsible consumption and ensuring that its campus is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.

The university undertakes a range of sustainability-related research, including on sustainable agriculture, soil biology and food security.

It has a range of living labs on its campus to aid with teaching and research in areas such as renewable energy, water recycling and and natural and cultural heritage.

5. University of Sheffield

The Donate, Don’t Waste scheme at the University of Sheffield helps students donate reusable items, recycle waste and minimise their impact on the environment and local community when they move out of their student accommodation.

There is also a checklist that students can use when moving out of their accommodation on how to correctly donate and dispose of unwanted items. 

The university also has litter-picking equipment available for students if they wish to pick up litter in their local area, or they can join community litter-picking groups in Sheffield. 


Best universities for recycling and sustainability 2024

Recycling and sustainability rank 2024UniversityCountry/region
=1Bournemouth UniversityUnited Kingdom
=1King’s College LondonUnited Kingdom
3University of ReadingUnited Kingdom
4Western Sydney UniversityAustralia
5University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
6University of PlymouthUnited Kingdom
=7University of ExeterUnited Kingdom
=7University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom
9Swansea UniversityUnited Kingdom
=10University of CanterburyNew Zealand
=10University of GalwayIreland
=12University of Technology SydneyAustralia
=12Yonsei University (Seoul campus)South Korea
14Bangor UniversityUnited Kingdom
=15University of GlasgowUnited Kingdom
=15University of the West of EnglandUnited Kingdom
17Nottingham Trent UniversityUnited Kingdom
18University Rey Juan CarlosSpain
19Université LavalCanada
=20Manchester Metropolitan UniversityUnited Kingdom
=20University of CalgaryCanada
22University of StrathclydeUnited Kingdom
23University of WarwickUnited Kingdom
24National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)Taiwan
25Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
26University College CorkIreland
27University of BristolUnited Kingdom
28University of EssexUnited Kingdom
29Tunghai UniversityTaiwan
=30University of AucklandNew Zealand
=30University of HelsinkiFinland
=30York UniversityCanada
33Arizona State University (Tempe)United States
=34Ain Shams UniversityEgypt
=34Northumbria UniversityUnited Kingdom
=34University of GironaSpain
=34University of WollongongAustralia
38Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands
=39KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySweden
=39University of VictoriaCanada
41RMIT UniversityAustralia
=42Lovely Professional UniversityIndia
=42The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
44IMT AtlantiqueFrance
=45McMaster UniversityCanada
=45University of AlbertaCanada
=45University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom
=45University of FlorenceItaly
49Universitas AirlanggaIndonesia
=50Aalborg UniversityDenmark
=50Lancaster UniversityUnited Kingdom
=52Abdullah Gül UniversityTurkey
=52Western UniversityCanada
54Umeå UniversitySweden
55Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaMalaysia
=56Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical SciencesIndia
=56University of AberdeenUnited Kingdom
58University of SurreyUnited Kingdom
59La Trobe UniversityAustralia
=60University of LeicesterUnited Kingdom
=60University of TasmaniaAustralia
62University of NewcastleAustralia
63Hong Kong Baptist UniversityHong Kong
=64Newcastle UniversityUnited Kingdom
=64University of GreenwichUnited Kingdom
66University of LimerickIreland
67The University of QueenslandAustralia
=68De Montfort UniversityUnited Kingdom
=68Université Catholique de LouvainBelgium
=68University of SharjahUnited Arab Emirates
71King Faisal UniversitySaudi Arabia
72Symbiosis International UniversityIndia
=73An-Najah National UniversityPalestine
=73University of WaterlooCanada
75University of StirlingUnited Kingdom
76Queen’s UniversityCanada
77Massey UniversityNew Zealand
78JSS Academy of Higher Education and ResearchIndia
=79Iqra UniversityPakistan
=79Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUTFinland
81University of the Sunshine CoastAustralia
82UNSW SydneyAustralia
=83Katholische Universität Eichstätt-IngolstadtGermany
=83University of SussexUnited Kingdom
85Durham UniversityUnited Kingdom
86Kasetsart UniversityThailand
87National Taiwan University (NTU)Taiwan
88Indian Institute of Technology GandhinagarIndia
89Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA)Malaysia
=90James Cook UniversityAustralia
=90Queen’s University BelfastUnited Kingdom
=90University of LeedsUnited Kingdom
=93Jadara UniversityJordan
=93University of NorthamptonUnited Kingdom
=95Central Queensland UniversityAustralia
=95Mahidol UniversityThailand
=95National Yunlin University of Science and TechnologyTaiwan
=95The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleUnited States
=95University of Central LancashireUnited Kingdom
100University of Eastern FinlandFinland
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Explore the top 100 universities championing responsible consumption and production in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 

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