The HE sustainability bandwagon seems to be populated with micromanagers: Let's not tackle the big issues, such as the appalling cost of heating outdated buildings and the insane "policies" of facilities management types who insist that "heating goes on at a set date and off at a set data every year", but we'll look at tiny projects like removing bins to encourage recycling. Not that encouraging recycling is a bad thing (but energy waste is a much bigger, bad thing) — our "sustainability" lot seem to win awards but the effect they've had within the faculty in which I work has been minimal ... at least until they take away all of our bins without consulting us! Like Essex, they've piloted the idea in a non-faculty environment, in our case where they're mostly open-plan so it was generally a short walk to the "recycling facility". In faculties, where we mostly have offices with 1-4 academics, it's going to be a long, regular walk to the "bin", interrupting those periods of intensive effort that goes with academic work (such as focusing on research, planning courses/lectures/assessments/modules, administering student marks etc.) They've also not consulted anyone about where these "bins" will sit — and in old buildings where Health & Safety already ban any non-fixed object that might obstruct corridors and fire evacuation routes, it's hard to see where they'll put bins. (Oh, I forgot: It's central departments that banned corridor bookcases, seats and any other obstruction, so they can easily un-ban huge obstructive bins if they like...)
What about students in classes and labs? Our sustainability guys might quote the bold experiment of our new teaching building, which has no bins in classrooms but "recycling stations" in the central atrium on every floor … sadly they've never taught a group of students in the inevitable squalor left at 4PM after a full day of students leaving bottles, crisp packets etc. behind because they have no bin in which to put their waste!
All-in-all it's a typical example of the "central departments" vs. Faculty divide and the lack of communication and consultation that occurs. (NB: We're not blameless, but we have no central-power to waltz in and modify their facilities — in that respect it's all one-way.)
