Heriot-Watt University
Cleaning Up Our Act: A Low Cost, High Impact Shift to Sustainable Operations
Finalist, Creating Impact
About
The Residential and Cleaning Services (RCS) team at Heriot-Watt University has delivered transformative sustainability improvements by embedding environmentally and socially responsible behaviours into everyday operations. Through large-scale waste reduction, reuse and redistribution schemes, and sustainable cleaning practices, the team has significantly reduced environmental impact while supporting students and local communities, including foodbanks and cost-of-living initiatives.
Notably, the project has driven lasting behavioural change across staff and students, normalising more sustainable practices both on campus and beyond, extending its impact into the wider community. Achieved within existing staffing and budgets, the initiative demonstrates how operational services can deliver measurable, high-impact outcomes efficiently.
To date, it has diverted over 37.6 tonnes of waste from landfill and generated more than £14,800 in annual savings. The approach provides a transferable, low-cost blueprint for universities seeking rapid and scalable sustainability impact.
Top 3 learnings
- We learned that operational teams can deliver high-impact sustainability without additional
funding. - We learned that sustainability is most effective when embedded into everyday actions,
empowering staff to take initiative. - We learned that by taking a collaborative approach, engagement was stronger resulting in a wider
institutional impact.
What it means to win
Winning a Green Gown Award would represent a significant milestone for the institution, recognising both our progress and our commitment to embedding sustainability across all areas of activity. It would highlight the achievements of a team not traditionally associated with sustainability that has proactively taken ownership, demonstrating that responsibility for sustainability is shared across the institution. The team independently sought to understand what sustainability means in their context, why it matters, and what practical actions they could take, an approach the university is actively encouraging and embedding more widely. Recognition would also serve to inspire others, showing how innovative, practical ideas can originate in any team and be replicated to drive collective progress across the institution.
Sustainable Development Goals
| 2026 | |
| Creating Impact | |
| Finalist, UK and Ireland |
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