Disposal Policy: Extensions to Services

The University of Newcastle extends its commitments to minimise disposable items and manage waste responsibly to externally provided services on campus. Its Environmental Sustainability Policy in effect during 2025 directed the University to reduce disposable materials, educate contractors about waste and recycling, and favour suppliers aligned with sustainability goals. The Procurement Policy applies these environmental considerations when the University engages service providers, including catering, cleaning and waste-management contractors.

Environmental commitments for contracted services

Waste minimisation and contractor education

The University’s Environmental Sustainability Policy, effective from 8 December 2022 and in force throughout 2025, set out commitments under clause 12 (Waste and Recycling) to educate staff, students, contractors and the community on waste and recycling; minimise the use of plastic and disposable items across campuses; and establish preferred suppliers aligned with the University’s sustainability goals. Clause 8 also required consideration of potential suppliers’ sustainability practices. These provisions connect the University’s waste-minimisation policy directly with contractor engagement and procurement.

Procurement standards and contract monitoring

The University’s Procurement Policy has been effective since 15 September 2023 and applies to procurement of all goods and services, including externally delivered campus services, regardless of funding source. Under section 7, clauses 15 and 16, procurement decisions consider non-cost factors such as environmental sustainability, legal compliance and whole-of-life disposal costs. Where practical, the University favours sustainable materials, suppliers that minimise adverse environmental impacts and those with end-of-life product stewardship programmes.

Section 9, clause 54, makes contract owners responsible for monitoring suppliers’ continued compliance with the Key Procurement Principles, potentially including contract performance indicators. Strategic Procurement may assess procurement outcomes when contracts cease or are renewed. This provides a framework for reviewing outsourced services against the University’s environmental expectations rather than treating waste management as solely an internal responsibility.

The University’s published Purchase Order Terms and Conditions also require suppliers to comply with its Supplier Code of Conduct and work with the University to meet the Code’s obligations. This supports accountability across purchased services alongside the environmental criteria in the Procurement Policy.

Working with campus service providers

Supporting food outlets and caterers to reduce single-use items

The University developed Plastic Free – A Guide for Campus Retailers to support food outlets, markets and catering providers in reducing disposable plastics. The guide identifies products such as takeaway containers, cups, cutlery, straws, bags and water bottles, and offers practical alternatives including reusable cups and containers, responsibly sourced cutlery, and reduced single-use packaging. Its guidance prioritises dining in and reusable takeaway containers ahead of single-use alternatives.

This retailer-focused initiative complements the University’s wider Plastic Free programme, which aimed to remove single-use plastic products from key campus areas by the end of 2025. By engaging the services that provide food and drinks on campus, the University extends disposable-item reduction beyond its directly managed activities. The published retailer guide demonstrates the practical guidance available to contracted and campus-based providers; it does not imply that every outlet had completed the transition by 2025.

Waste-services delivery in 2025

The University’s 2025 Annual Report records that a new waste-services contract commenced in November 2025, incorporating a dedicated Resource Recovery Officer to strengthen recycling performance. During 2025, food-organics collection also expanded, with Edwards Hall diverting 12.84 tonnes of organic waste from landfill. The new service contract demonstrates the University’s application of its waste-management objectives through an outsourced operational service, complementing its efforts to prevent unnecessary disposable items in the first place.

The University's procurement and environmental policies help embed sustainable waste management expectations into its relationships with external service providers. By incorporating environmental considerations into outsourced operations, the University supports a more consistent approach to resource efficiency and waste reduction across its campuses.