Environmental Policy
Residential Services is responsible for managing 3452 residential
places which are situated on the University campus. The nature of
the business is such that customers and staff working in the
Residences are consumers of energy and water, produce waste and have
an impact on the environment of the University campus.
It is well publicised now that every person has a responsibility to
use resources wisely to conserve energy supplies, protect the
environment and reduce the impact of carbon emissions on climate. It
is the aim of this policy to set out options that will assist our
students and staff to work towards these goals.
This policy is designed to ensure that environmental factors are
taken into consideration in decision making and that working
practices have minimum adverse impact on the environment. It also
promotes initiatives that raise awareness and encourage students in
the careful use of resources whilst living in the residences.
The policy covers the following topics:
• energy and water use and conservation
• waste management, recycling and litter management
• noise pollution
• chemical use and cleaning materials
• sustainable sourcing of materials, furniture and fittings
• sustainable new build
Everyone that is living or working in University Residences
and is committed to reducing their impact on the environment can
sign up to the Residential Services
Environmental charter online.
Energy and WaterHeating
The residences are heated by gas or electricity and thermostats are
set to maintain a room temperature of between 20 and 22°C. The
majority of residences are fitted with thermostatic valves on the
radiators in student bedrooms; the exceptions are: Harwich Court
Houses 1 -6, Brightlingsea Court, Keynes and William Morris Towers.
Some students may find this room temperature inadequate particularly
if they have arrived from a warmer climate. It is essential that bed
covers and clothing is adapted so that this room temperature can be
tolerated rather then turning the heating up to a level that results
in other students opening windows to reduce ambient temperature.
Thermostatic valves can be used to control the temperature in the
room and can close off the heating altogether. Students should use
this facility to turn off the heating when leaving the room and
before ventilating the room by opening the window. Staff should also
reduce the valve setting on radiators in communal areas if there are
no residents present or before opening windows in kitchens and on
corridors.
Full instructions on the use of storage heaters in the Houses should
be placed in each room so students can use this form of heating most
efficiently.
Lighting and Electrical Appliances
Electrical appliances and lighting also use significant amounts of
energy and students should ensure that lighting is switched off when
leaving their room. Computers and other electrical appliances should
also be turned off when not in use and should not be left on
stand-by unnecessarily.
Passive infra-red switches are being installed in large communal
areas and corridors to ensure lighting automatically switches off
when the area is not in use.
When appliances are replaced in the residences the energy rating
must be taken into consideration and wherever possible an energy
rating of A or B should be purchased as standard.
Water
The east of England is one of the driest areas of the UK and
conservation of water is essential to prevent excessive extraction
of water from rivers. Students should use water for washing and
showering carefully, should not leave taps running whilst cleaning
teeth and should ensure that taps are fully turned off after use.
Water can also be conserved if leaking taps or faulty toilet flushes
are reported immediately.
Wherever possible staff and students should use a washing-up bowl or
bucket rather than using running water for cleaning.
Waste Management, Recycling and Litter Management
Waste and Recycling
Waste produced by residents is currently removed from kitchens by
caretaking staff and is taken from campus by skip, by the local
authority or compacted and removed by the skip hire company. The
skip company sorts and recycles all waste collected from the
university by them.
In order to facilitate recycling, recycling containers are placed
close to the residences. Where kitchens are refurbished a built in
provision will be made for students to collect their waste rather
than placing in the general rubbish. Students will be responsible
for taking waste for recycling from the kitchens to the recycling
bins.
At the end of the academic year many students have goods that they
no longer require. The Students’ Union offer a facility for students
to offer these goods for recycling to other students. Goods left in
the room are disposed of through the skip company who sort and
recycle this waste.
Litter Management
Litter is a problem around the residences for a number of reasons.
Some is due to careless or deliberate littering, some to spilling of
litter from rubbish bags stored for removal.
Litter degrades the environment visually and can be a hazard to the
wildlife living on the campus grounds. Students are requested to
dispose of waste responsibly using the bins provided and to refrain
from throwing litter out of the residence windows. At weekends there
are bins provided for students to dispose of rubbish bags
responsibly. These locations are indicated on the attached map.
Noise PollutionMusic forms an integral part of the cultural life of many young
people and students are no exception. Enjoying an active social life
including parties is also important for many students. However, this
way of life can impact on other students due to the high living
density of the residences. There are also many diverse cultures
living in student accommodation who may not share the same social
activities or ways of relaxing.
Students should therefore be mindful of the level at which music is
played in the residences and keep this to an acceptable level
especially after 11 pm when other students may be sleeping; to also
be aware that disturbance can be created when leaving venues on
campus and care should be taken to avoid undue disturbance.
Chemical Use and Cleaning MaterialsResidential Services operates a cleaning service in the residences
and in order to maintain safe standards of hygiene effective
cleaning materials must be used.
The use of bleach is minimised and is only used to remove mould, to
clean areas of excessive soiling and where infection may be present.
Other cleaning materials meet all relevant regulations such as CHIP
(Chemicals – Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply). Staff are
fully trained in the use of all cleaning products to ensure that
they are used correctly and safely.
When purchasing cleaning products Accommodation Essex tries to
ensure, wherever possible, that the products do not cause harm to
the environment, that containers can recycled and delivery miles are
kept to a minimum.
Used and soiled cloths and cleaning equipment for disposal are
re-cycled wherever possible by the waste disposal company. Cloths
and disposable equipment are washed and re-used for as long as
possible prior to disposal.
Sustainable Sourcing
Each year Accommodation Essex replaces a proportion of equipment,
furniture and fittings in the residences. This is funded from rent
income so it is important that value for money is achieved in order
to maintain a good standard over all locations. However, it is
equally important to ensure that sustainable sourcing is given
proper consideration when sourcing these items and suppliers.
Factors that should be considered are:
• using sustainably sourced materials
• source products with a high recycled content, that are
biodegradable or fairly traded wherever possible
• buying energy efficient products
In addition to purchasing of these items consideration must be given
to disposal of redundant items. Wherever possible these should be
recycled through a registered recycling centre or donated to
charity.
Refrigerators and electrical items must be disposed of through a
registered facility.
Sustainable New Build
The residences range in age and style with the oldest residences,
the Towers, dating from 1965 -71. The older residences are less
thermally efficient as building standards were different at the time
of their build.
It is likely that new student residences will be built in the next
three years. Environmental factors will be considered in any new
build to ensure that the residences are constructed and operated
sustainably as well as providing a living environment that meets
students’ needs and expectations. New residential build should be
awarded a BREEAM rating of excellent.
Additionally a Building Management System must be installed which
monitors consumption of gas, electricity and water and forwards this
information to students on-line so they can monitor their own
consumption.
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