Warwick Sustainability Challenge: Waste

The Winners

We are delighted to announce the results of the Challenge!

1st place - Team 16

2nd place - Team 6

3rd place - Team 14

All team submissions are available on the Challenge Submissions Page.

Meet the Challenge participants and the judging panel

Judging panel

The judging panel included:

Rosie Drinkwater (Group Finance Director - Warwick), Kate Thompson (Waste & Recycling Manager - Warwick), Parvez Islam (Director of Environmental Sustainability - Warwick), Ian McFarlane-Toms (Business Ready Programme Manager - Warwick), Dr Lorenzo Lotti (Associate Professor in Economics of Energy and the Environment - UCL)

About the Warwick Sustainability Challenge: Waste

The University of Warwick is on a sustainability journey and is seeking your creative and innovative ideas to progress circular economy and waste on campus.

We have developed and implemented a number of waste reducing projects over the past few years at Warwick, but feedback indicates there remains a lack of deep engagement with issues such as waste and recycling. This project will therefore contribute to further promote climate education at Warwick and enhance best practices to transition to net zero with particular focus on waste. Using an interdisciplinary approach mixed with competition on the challenges Warwick faces the Sustainability Challenge aims to raise the profile of the importance of education for sustainable development and co-creation as important areas of student focus and engagement to generate impactful solutions on campus and further afield.

The workshops were designed to facilitate a collaborative approach to reframing a challenge, and coached participants to help explore it in an innovative way. After the workshops, the Challenge lasted for additional 10 days (two weeks in total). With the help of expert student and staff coaches, participants continued collaborating asynchronously and by the end of two weeks they submitted their ideas either in the form of an e-poster or a presentation, and a video.

What was in it for participants?

Learned about sustainability and developed green skills

Gained employability skills and valuable experience for their CV

Earned skill points towards their Warwick Skills Award

Developed innovation skills and learned about a leading innovation methodology: design thinking

Received a certificate of completion and were in a chance to win a cash prize

Met new people from across the University

Made a tangible contribution to the University

Project Aims

The objective of this challenge is to engage the university community with waste and recycling.
This project aims to generate ideas to implement and imbed the waste hierarchy and circular economy.

What You Need to Know

Project Background

Please visit this Project Background pageLink opens in a new window Link opens in a new window to find out more about the project and what the key dates were.

Judging Criteria

Desirable, Feasible, Innovative, Ethical, Holistic. Find out more hereLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window

More information

Please visit this page for FAQsLink opens in a new window or get in touch with the Project Leads, or visit this Project Background pageLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window to find out more

Project Impact

We’re looking forward to sharing the impacts with you soon.

Project Team

David Chapman (Estates)

Project Lead

Evelin Sanderson-Nichols (Estates)

Project Co-Lead

Dr Lory Barile (Economics)

Project Co-Lead

Dr Bo Kelestyn (WBS)

Project Co-Lead

Nikita Asnani

Project Co-Lead

If you would like more information on this project, please contact us: sustainability@warwick.ac.uk

If you want to learn more about a forerunner project, the Warwick Sustainability Challenge, please click hereLink opens in a new window.