Governance
Our Environmental Sustainability Strategy is our Waste Plan. The document provides a clear overview of the commitments and targets embedded within our University Strategy, the measures and actions we continue to embed, and the governance principles and plans we have in place to reduce operational carbon emissions and all aspects of our emissions including the generation of waste.
We measure the amount of waste we generate on a monthly basis and publicly share our annual generation through reports such as our annual Public Bodies Climate Change Duties (PBCCD) report to the Scottish Government. You can find a copy of our latest report (covering our 2024/25 academic year) within our Net Zero Carbon page or within the Sustainable Scotland Network website.
During our 2024/25 academic year, we generated 266 tonnes of waste throughout our campuses and office buildings. Of the 266 tonnes, only 5 tonnes were sent to landfill.
We also measure and report the environmental impact of all goods and services that we procure annually. The measurements provided thorough the Higher Education Supply Chain Emission Tool (HESCET), provide an estimate of the carbon impact of all procurement. The carbon impact includes consideration of all key environmental sustainability aspects including waste.
Reference to the procurement of goods and services is embedded throughout our Environmental Sustainability Strategy. The impact of procurement is reported within our annual Public Bodies Climate Change Duties reports to the Scottish Government.
Student accommodation
Residential waste from our student accommodation sites is collected by the City of Edinburgh Council. We don’t have accurate measurements of the amount of waste collected, but we estimate that 372 tonnes of waste were generated during 2024/25. Waste collected is recycled, used to create energy or managed using anaerobic digestion - visit the council website for more information.
All flats managed by the University have a sequence of internal bins that match all external bins provided by the Council, making it easy to sort and recycle. For more detailed and student focused information on waste, visit My Napier.
The student accommodation team work with students and a number of charities to encourage donation and reuse of items where possible. At the end of 2024/25, items with a weight of 6.3 tonnes and a resale value of £11,000 were donated to the British Heart Foundation.
Examples of good practice
We have a number of embedded waste management practices throughout the University, including the following examples.
Catering
The Catering team gained one-star accreditation through the Sustainable Restaurant Association Food Made Good standard during our 2024/25 academic year. The standard includes many aspects of waste management investigation including reduction of food waste through clear food management principles including portion control. The work led by the catering team also included investigation of waste throughout all procurement routes, including packaging and food waste.
Following the principles of our Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the Catering team lead the minimisation of plastics and disposable items. No plastic single-use items such as cutlery or cups are available throughout our catering outlets.
To reduce the use of single use hot dink cups (for coffee and tea), the Catering team recently partnered with Cauli. During the end of 2025/26, reusable cups were introduced at Sighthill campus. The system allows users to borrow a reusable cup and return to a collection point on campus, where the cups are collected, washed and reused. In tandem, all visitors to our catering outlets are encouraged to use their own cup, with a 25p discount applied. Should people request a single use cup, a 50p charge is applied.
Logistics
Our Logistics team collect, store and redistribute furniture within the University. Everything from chairs, desks and general furniture is reused and repurposed where possible. Using a storage facility close to our Sighthill campus means that we can store items temporarily, reducing the need for reusable furniture to be disposed of immediately.
Free reusable period products
Thanks to Scottish Government funding, we're able to provide free period products to Edinburgh Napier students. We've teamed up with Hey Girls, whose "Buy One Give One" products are aimed at ending period poverty.
We offer students a range of environmentally-friendly and reusable period products for free, including reusable pads, period pants and menstrual cups. The single-use products are plastic free. We also support Hey Girls in their campaigns aimed at highlighting environmental issues, such as "Don't Rush to Flush".
Our own Edinburgh Napier students were involved in the design of the period product dispensers on campus - read about their Bleedin' Saor project.
Find out more about the Edinburgh Napier Free Period scheme.