In 2022/23, Queen Mary recycled 29.797 tonnes of food waste. There are separate bins in kitchen areas to collect food waste and ensure it reaches waste streams that allow the food to be recycled.
The University and Students’ Union outlets use the Too Good To Go application to sell unsold food at a discounted price at the end of the day. This saved 937 meals from going to waste in 2021/22. Find out more about Too Good To Go and download the app. Some of the outlets, such as the Queen Mary Café, also discount food at the end of each day.
Approximately 24 tonnes of food waste is collected annually from our commercial kitchens to be treated by anaerobic digestion then converted into biogas and fertiliser.
Used cooking oil is collected by Olleco to be converted to biodiesel. Find out more about Olleco.
The Students’ Union has a Food Pantry giving students access to non-perishable food and toiletries as a response to the Cost of Living Crisis. Students and staff can donate unwanted items to avoid them going to waste. Find out more about the Students’ Union Food Pantry.
Students can also participate in volunteering activities to support Bow Foodbank and Whitechapel Mission locally with regular collections held on campus. For information about volunteering opportunities, see the Students' Union website.
Read about our environmental initiatives for food and drink.
Read about how we are phasing out single-use cups by partnering with Reuser.