What waste does a school produce?

The everyday streams are paper, mixed recycling, food and general waste. Paper dominates the dry stream because of worksheets, marking, admin and library waste. Most schools end up with a separate paper recycling collection in addition to mixed.

Food waste from the canteen is significant on a term-time day. Plate scrapings, prep waste from the kitchen, expired stock. Under Simpler Recycling 2025, food separation is mandatory for any site with 10+ employees, which covers all but the smallest primary schools.

Packaging waste from lunchtime, lesson materials and equipment deliveries makes up the mixed recycling stream. General waste covers what’s left, which is much less than people expect once separation is set up.

Science lab waste is the specialist one for secondary schools and academies. Spent chemical reagents, contaminated glassware, biological waste from dissections. CLEAPSS publishes detailed guidance on disposal routes for school science waste, and labs typically need a periodic specialist collection.

WEEE is the periodic stream. IT refresh cycles every 3-5 years, broken interactive whiteboards, replaced AV equipment. Confidential paper covers pupil records, safeguarding files and HR paperwork, all subject to GDPR retention rules.

What’s the typical bin spec for a school?

A standard primary school usually runs a 1100L general waste bin and a 1100L mixed recycling on weekly collection, with a 240L food waste bin twice-weekly from the canteen, and a confidential console emptied termly.

Secondary schools and academies scale up to multiple 1100L bins or an FEL setup, with a dedicated paper recycling collection, a larger food waste setup (often 660L or larger), a confidential console per office area, and a science waste collection scheduled quarterly or half-termly depending on volumes.

Multi-academy trusts usually consolidate into one contract across the estate with site-level pricing. WEEE collections are event-based, typically scheduled around IT refresh cycles.

What specialist streams do schools deal with?

Science lab chemical waste covers spent acids, organic solvents, heavy metal solutions, biological residues from dissection and preserved specimens. CLEAPSS guidance L195 (chemical disposal) and similar documents cover what can go down the sink (very little), what can be neutralised in-house, and what needs a licensed hazardous collection.

Confidential paper with safeguarding implications has heightened sensitivity. The NHS Records Code of Practice doesn’t apply but the equivalent education sector retention schedules do, with GDPR underpinning everything. Locked consoles with Certificates of Destruction are the standard route.

WEEE under the WEEE Regulations 2013 covers IT, AV, science equipment and any electrical kit. Some equipment suppliers offer take-back when delivering new. Batteries from keyboards, calculators and remotes fall under the Batteries Regulations 2009.

What compliance pitfalls catch schools out?

Simpler Recycling 2025 is the live one. Schools in England with 10+ employees (effectively all but the smallest primaries) must separate food waste, paper/card, plastic/metal/glass from general from 31 March 2025.

Confidential disposal trail for pupil records. GDPR requires the school to be able to evidence destruction of personal data. Locked-console consignment notes provide this. Bags of paper in general waste do not.

Science waste consignment notes under the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 are sometimes missed by busy science departments. Three-year retention applies. Multi-academy trusts often have inconsistent setups across sites until they consolidate, which means some schools are paying premium rates for the same service the trust gets cheaper elsewhere.