Welcome to Sustainable St Andrews
You are joining a community that prioritises sustainability – it is a key governance theme at the University of St Andrews. This is embedded in our research, teaching, operations, and student and community engagement.
The University is fully committed to supporting sustainable choices by raising awareness of ways to reduce your carbon footprint in four key areas:
- Shopping
- Food
- Travel
- Recycling
These resources are for those living in either University or private accommodation. Before you arrive and throughout your time here, you can actively minimise your carbon impact and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Shopping
We know you want to make your home-from-home as comfortable as possible, so we have two packages to help you settle in with the basics without breaking the bank.
St AndReuse: the annual Big Giveaway happens at the start Semester 1, making it easy for new and returning students to grab some must-have stuff for their time in St Andrews. Everything is free except adult shoes and clothing, which is available for just £1 per item.
Bedding Bundles are professionally-laundered, pre-loved duvets, pillows and bedlinen. You can find more information and order online.
Kitchen Packs, of pre-loved essentials and professional-quality pans, are available to loan.
The Reuse Store is also open to anyone in the community for weekly drop ins on Monday and Friday lunchtimes at University Hall.
Giveaways, pop-up Reuse Shops & Swaps, and regular opening times are detailed on Transition’s Events page.
Bring your donations to Reuse when it is open. Or take them to our Reuse partner, the St Andrews Environment Network, at the Eco Hub on 40 Kinnessburn Road (open weekdays).
Repair & Advice Cafes are hosted monthly. Here, you can have clothes, bags, electricals, jewellery, ceramics and other items fixed by volunteers for free. Skillshare sessions are run on an ad hoc basis. These teach sewing, upcycling, clothes (re)design, crochet, plant-based cooking and other skills. If you have a sustainable skill to share, get in touch.
It is better to donate unwanted clothes in good condition for charity shops to make money from them. There are over 20 British Heart Foundation banks around campus. It also helps if you can repair your items before donating, such as through the Repair Café.
Many residential halls now feature Reuse stations in the common rooms. You can leave items you no longer need or take items that you can use. This is a great way to join in your local sharing economy.
At the end of term, we set up collection points in each hall of residence to prevent your unwanted household and kitchen goods from going to waste. St AndReuse partners with local charities, farms, community groups, and other organisations to redistribute items collected.
Food
Transition coordinates various food initiatives with the aim of making it easier for people in St Andrews to eat sustainably and ethically sourced food.
The Tree
The Tree is a student-run food cooperative which aims to provide locally produced and organic food at affordable prices. Shop online and collect from the Student Union.
Edible Campus
Edible Campus brings people together to grow their own food through a network of community gardens.
The Eco Hub
St Andrews Environmental Network run a refill shop on Kinnessburn Road selling sustainable food and household products. There is also a St AndReuse collection point here, if you want to donate unwanted items.
Campus Larder
The Student Association’s Campus Larder is available to all students and staff from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for students struggling during the cost-of-living crisis
North East Fife Community Hub
The Community Fridge is open to everyone and is located at the St David’s Centre. They are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm.
Travel
Flights
For many of you, avoiding flights is not an easy option. To support our net zero goals, we have entered a partnership with Corrour, which offers an opportunity to keep carbon in the ground through regenerative conservation strategies. This does not directly offset your travel, but does contribute to a global sequestration effort – and supports research in this partnership.
Bus
We have partnered with local bus companies, Stagecoach and Moffat & Williams, to offer a 75% discount on bus travel in and around St Andrews.
If you are under 22, you’re eligible for FREE bus travel under the National Entitlement Scheme.
Train
There are various railcards and concessionary fares available on UK trains to make your train travel cheaper, including up to 1/3 off many networks.
Bike Pool
Bike Pool is a service run by Transition, where abandoned and donated bikes are refurbished and rented out to people in St Andrews.
They also run Fix-It sessions, where people can learn bike maintenance and fix their broken bikes. You can use the sustainable travel hub for comprehensive information on all low carbon travel options in St Andrews.
Recycling in Halls
In your kitchen you have three bins:
- dry mixed recycling (food tins and drink cans, cartons, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, containers and wrappers),
- general waste, and
- cardboard.
In your bedroom you have two bins: dry mixed recycling and general waste. These should be emptied into the corresponding large bins outside your hall. Cardboard waste should be disposed of separately at the relevant stations near the outdoor bins.
Unwanted household items can be donated to the St AndReuse station in the common room, or to the British Heart Foundation banks around campus.
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) should be brought to reception for disposal by residential staff. Batteries can be disposed of in special plastic containers in every hall. Ask your hall staff where these are located.
Recycling in town
If you live outside of the town centre you will have four outdoor bins. Use them for the following:
- Grey – paper, card and cardboard.
- Green – plastics and metals.
- Brown – food and garden waste.
- Blue – non-recyclables.
Use the Fife Council bin calendar to find out when to bring your bins out for kerbside collection.
If you live in the town centre, you will have a single bin for general waste. Take your recycling to a recycling point closest to your house. You can use one of the sites like at Main Library or the Fife Council collection point at the Double Dykes Road Car Park.
Opportunities
There are a number of different opportunities for you to get involved in sustainability, both within the university campus and through various regional and national organisations. Here are some examples:
Support sustainability initiatives within the University
- Environment Team: Keep an eye on the University’s Sustainability webpages and social media for paid internships and volunteering opportunities (contact: [email protected], Instagram: @ustasustainable).
- Hall Environment Representatives: Help your Hall of Residence become more environmentally friendly. You will receive training and support through the year (contact: [email protected]).
- School Sustainability Representatives: Help your academic School become more environmentally friendly. You will receive training and support through the year. Nominate yourself in the Union Class Rep elections in September.
- Transition: Join Transition’s Steering Committee or team of volunteers to help run events and be at the forefront of sustainable activity in St Andrews (contact: [email protected]).
- Fairtrade Steering Committee: Work to embed global social and environmental trade equality into your curriculum and introduce more Fairtrade products into University retail outlets (contact: [email protected]).
- Enactus St Andrews: Join one of the many projects working to encourage
sustainability in the local area. - Environment Subcommittee: Help make the Union and associated
societies more sustainable within a great team
(contact: [email protected]). - Rectors Committee: Apply to join the Rector’s and work to advocate for variety of student interests (contact: [email protected]).
Volunteer with external community groups
- St Andrews Environmental Network: Support this local environmental charity and get involved with projects such as Cosy Kingdom and St Andrews Beach Wheelchairs (contact: [email protected]).
- St Andrews Botanic Garden: Volunteer to help run education, garden, nursery, or other one-off events at the Botanic Garden.
- Fife Coast and Countryside Trust: Take part in practical conservation activities (contact: [email protected]).
- Scottish Wildlife Trust: Join your local SWT group and volunteer at wildlife conservation events.
- Nature Scot, Tentsmuir Forest: Volunteer at the National Nature Reserve known for its diverse forest, Morton Lochs and fantastic dune systems.
- 2050 Climate Group: Take part in the Climate Action Leadership Programme for 18-35 year-olds.
Start your own project
- If you have an idea for a project relating to the environment or sustainability and would like support or involvement, please reach out to the Environment team – we would love to hear your ideas! [email protected].
- For more information on our sustainability activities, you can check out our Instagram @UStASustainable.