Cleaning, Waste & Sustainability

Our responsibilities:

• Cleaning the microwave, oven, hob, kitchen floor, tables and chairs
• Wiping the outside of refrigerators and freezers
• Checking kitchen walls, skirting boards, cupboards, inside of windows and windowsills
• Cleaning the toilet, sink, shower area and bathroom floor in communal areas
• The cleaning service does not include washing up or cleaning the insides of cupboards or fridge/ freezers.
  
  

Your cleaning responsibilities:

• You are responsible for cleaning your room (including your ensuite bathroom, where relevant) on a regular basis.
• Although your housekeeping team regularly clean shared areas, you are expected to keep these free from litter and in good order.
• Built in ovens, hobs and microwaves should be cleaned regularly by residents in between scheduled cleaning.
• Residents are required to allow access to the cleaners and ensure there are no obstructions or hazards that might impede their work.
  
  It is particularly important, especially on your designated cleaning day that the following are completed by 9.00am:

1. All waste is put into the appropriate bins.
2. Wash crockery regularly and store in cupboards – do not allow washing up to accumulate on work tops especially prior to cleaning day as this limits the ability to clean.
3. Kitchen worktops are wiped down.
4. Floors are clear to allow for cleaning.

Do not move furniture from designated areas and please keep stairwells and corridors clear.

If you do not keep your bedroom or kitchen in an acceptable condition, you will be notified and given the opportunity to rectify the concerns. If you do not clean it to a satisfactory standard, you may be recharged. This could result in a delay of the housekeeping team carrying out their cleaning duties until it has been rectified. A kitchen contract cleaning charge could cost more than £145.00.

Bay Campus, true and Seren Residents:

A dustpan and brush, mop and bucket and vacuum cleaner are available for your use within all communal kitchens.
Please do not use vacuum cleaners to mop up spillages.

Residents at all other sites:

Vacuum cleaners can be borrowed from your Site Reception. Reception staff will ask for your student ID card, which is returned to you once the vacuum cleaner is brought back.
Please do not use vacuum cleaners to mop up spillages.

This process should be completed by residents on a termly basis i.e., before leaving for Christmas, Easter break and before vacating your residences at the end of your tenancy period. This process should also be carried out when there is a build-up of frost to a point where the draws and/or door will not close fully. Learn How To Defrost Your Freezer.

• Keep your hands clean: they carry germs.
• Use disposable cleaning cloths to avoid spreading bacteria.
• Always wash equipment and utensils after preparing food.
• Keep the kitchen clean: leftovers attract pests.
• Cover open wounds when preparing food.
• Refrigerate all high-risk foods e.g. meat, poultry, fish, dairy products.
• Do not overload the refrigerator. Defrost the freezer once a term (see above).
• Store cooked and raw food separately at the bottom of the fridge.

Posters, photographs, decorations etc. should be confined to the boards supplied in kitchens. This applies to seasonal decorations too. Please do not affix items to walls, ceilings, or doors as this constitutes a fire hazard and may damage wall surfaces. Staff are instructed to remove them. This applies to both bedroom and common areas. Failure to comply will result in cleaning and redecoration recharges being applied to your student account.

No alterations or additions to the decoration, fixtures or fittings of the room are permitted.

• All waste should be sorted into the appropriately labelled waste bins within the communal kitchen.
• In these bins you will be able to recycle items according to their material, including plastics, paper, cardboard, metal, glass and food waste.
• At Bay Campus, Beck House and Singleton Park Campus, Housekeeping staff will empty the bins in the communal areas weekly.
• You will be provided with new clear bin liners without charge. However, if you find the bins are full then please bag the rubbish appropriately and place in the external bins.
• You are required to empty any bedroom waste into the appropriate communal kitchen bins. Please ensure this is bagged before placing in the external bins.

Please contact us should you have any questions.

Any non-recyclable material placed incorrect in recycling will contaminate the contents, eventually causing the waste to be re-directed to land fill sites. Kitchens that continually have contaminated bags may be charged for the extra cost of landfill waste.

• Glass is 100% recyclable and can be endlessly recycled with no loss in quality.
• Please rinse out bottles and jars before putting them into the recycling bin.
• Please remove plastic and metal lids and place into the relevant recycling bins.

Minimising waste production, increasing reuse and segregating waste for closed loop recycling supports the circular economy. As such, waste minimisation and resource efficiency is one of the key operational focuses of the University’s Sustainability and Climate Emergency Strategy.

At every stage of the development, we ensure our work is successfully enhancing the natural and built environment leaving behind a positive legacy that communities can enjoy for years to come. We aim to achieve this without affecting residents’ comfort levels through the installation and use of energy-saving equipment and systems and most importantly through the participation of everyone who lives and works within residences.

You can help your flat save energy and reduce carbon emissions by using the following simple but effective energy saving tips:

• Turn off bedroom and bathroom lights when you leave the room.
• Do not leave door and windows open in the winter when the heating is on.
• If you feel your room is too warm and you cannot control the temperature, please report this as a fault.
• Use the kettle to boil water for cooking instead of heating water from cold in a pan on the stove. Not only will this be more efficient, but it generally takes less time too.
• Don’t leave the oven on any longer than necessary. Share use if you can.
• Draw the curtains at night to keep the heat inside.
• Keep shower times as reasonably short as possible.
• Switch all electrical appliances off at the plug instead of using the ‘standby’ function. Items on standby can use up to 75% of their full power.
• Do not dry wet clothes or towels on radiators – drying items on the radiators will make your room feel cold and reduce the efficiency of the radiator and increases condensation. Dryers are available in the launderette.
• Report dripping taps or showers or any other fault which you think results in energy waste.
• Get involved in our energy saving and energy reducing campaigns and competitions.

The coast is a great place to live and relax, and we are very fortunate at Swansea University to have a unique location with the beach and sea right on our doorstep. This is a great resource for everyone to enjoy, please make sure you read the tips below know how to retain our beach and to stay safe in the sea.

• Assess the conditions first; if it looks too rough then stay on the beach.
• Never swim after drinking alcohol or eating a heavy meal.
• Check the tide to avoid strong rips and being cut off from incoming water.
• Let people know where you’re going.
• In case of emergency dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
• Inflatable dinghies, mats and toys are great for the pool but are not safe to use at the beach and should not be used as a life saving device.
• Dispose of litter responsibly.
• Do not cover used BBQs with sand and do not place hot BBQs in dust bins, this may ignite a fire.

If you'd like more information on water safety, please visit: Respect the Water – National Drowning Prevention Campaign. A list of lifeguards supervised beaches can be found via RNLI.

To the east of Bay Campus is an area of nature conservation importance which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Within this area there are several important habitats including sand dunes, saltmarsh and mudflats. The vegetation includes rare plants such as field wormwood and sea stock. There are common lizards, insects and many species of birds including oystercatcher, sanderling and ringer plover.

Swansea University owns Crymlyn Burrows SSSI and is responsible for ensuring its protection for the future. The area is managed by the Biodiversity team and there are several things you can to do ensure the safeguarding of this area:

• Do not leave any litter
• No fires or BBQs
• Do not pick or disturb any flora or fauna

Any damage to the SSSI area is a criminal offence if you see anything that may be damaging or disruptive to the site please contact +44 (0) 1792 205678 and ask for the Biodiversity Officer or University Security.

Here at Swansea University, we know that university life is more than just study. That is why the Sustainability Team work hard to offer you lots of different opportunities to get involved with our sustainability initiatives.