Waste. Sorted!
Waste sorting at your location
Aarhus
Do you have questions about waste sorting at your location in Aarhus? Contact your local buildings manager below.
Do you work or study at Moesgård and want to know more about waste sorting? Contact Mikkel Berg Thorsager, head of Security, Technical Operations and Maintenance at mb@moesgaardmuseum.dk
- Including AU Student Administration and Services, E&I, the Rector’s Office, and the Conference Centre
Knud Simonsen
Buildings Inspector Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - BSS Byg3 Bygningsdrift, Fuglesangs Allé
Per Okholm
Buildings Inspector Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - BSS Byg1 Bygningsdrift, Universitetsparken og Ndr. Ringgade
Birgitte Mortensen
Cleaning Coordinator Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - Aarhus BSS Estates Facilities
Henrik Friis Bach
Member of Administrative Staff Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - Aarhus BSS Estates Facilities
Emdrup
Do you have questions about waste sorting at your location? Contact your local buildings manager below.
Flakkebjerg
Herning
Birte Donslund-Olesen
Cleaning Manager Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - BSS Byg2 Bygningsdrift, Campus Herning
Allan Kristensen
Buildings Manager Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - BSS Byg2 Bygningsdrift, Campus HerningRoskilde
Viborg
What fractions should waste be sorted into?
Students, staff and guests must sort waste in AU's study areas, classrooms, lecture halls, canteens, offices and kitchenettes. Household-like waste must be sorted into the same fractions as those used in private homes, as defined by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in the Ministerial Order on waste (in Danish).
The number of waste bins, the fractions collected, and the number of fractions combined in one bin will vary across the waste sorting stations on campus – and will depend on:
- The type of waste produced at the location in question
- The relevant municipal guidelines for the handling of sorted waste.
At each waste sorting station, there will be clear instructions on how to sort your waste.
The ten fractions of household-like waste are shown at the picture below (in Danish) and includes:
- Residual waste
- Food waste
- Plastic
- Metal
- Food and drink cartons
- Glass
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Textile waste
- Hazardous waste
![[Translate to English:] Ikoner med de ti affaldsfraktioner, som er beskrevet i teksten oven for.](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/f/csm_Affaldssortering_fraktioner_4aa85c9d61.jpg)
How waste sorting will be implemented at AU
AU is currently rolling out waste sorting stations to faculties and building areas across the university. AU received the first waste sorting bins in the autumn of 2024 and expects that waste sorting will be implemented at all AU locations by the summer of 2025.
There are two mutually dependent factors that influence the gradual implementation of waste sorting at AU locations:
- Indoor waste bins: Each faculty or building area purchases its own waste bins, according to the local needs for different fractions and number of waste bins. A purchasing agreement was put in place in the summer of 2024. Many places are waiting for the outdoor waste sorting areas to be in place before purchasing the indoor waste bins (see next section).
- Outdoor waste handling: AU has signed a contract with a new supplier to collect the waste and supply containers. This way, the outdoor facilities will support the indoor waste sorting system. The contract was signed in mid-October 2024 and the new containers will be set up in 3-6 months. On the campus in Aarhus, a central waste disposal site has also been established.
Why sort your waste?
- According to the Ministerial Order on waste, it is a legal requirement that workplaces and public institutions sort household-like waste according to the same criteria that apply to private households. This is to help reach the goal of making the waste sector climate neutral by 2030.
- As part of Aarhus University’s climate strategy, AU wants to recognise waste as a resource that must be recycled. With about 11,500 employees, 36,000 students and annual revenue of approximately DKK 7.7 billion, the university produces significant amounts of waste every day – about 1,200 metric tons annually.
- Aarhus University wants to focus on reducing waste and increasing the proportion of waste that is recycled to help the environment.