From leftovers to lessons - one student’s journey tackling food waste at UCL

A student-led campaign during Food Waste Action Week explored food waste at UCL through events, surveys and media, uncovering key insights and challenges in reducing food waste on campus.

Starting the Conversation on Campus

During Food Waste Action Week 2025, UCL student and Sustainability Ambassador Amelia Shen took on the challenge of exploring and addressing food waste on campus. From hosting events and collecting data to creating a social media campaign and running a pop-up stall, her week was packed with energy, creativity, and plenty of learning moments. The experience revealed not only how much food UCL students waste, but also why it happens and how much more can be done to change it.

 

“Weigh the Waste”: Visualising the Problem

Amelia’s headline event, Weigh the Waste, was held at both the Wilkins Refectory on the Bloomsbury campus and at Marshgate on the UCL East campus. Students were invited to weigh their leftover food before disposing of it, while Amelia calculated the carbon impact of the waste using a food-to-CO₂ converter.

Over the two lunchtime sessions, forty-nine students participated. The total waste collected was just over five kilograms, with chips and rice being the most commonly discarded items.

While some students were initially reluctant - either declining to participate or expressing guilt -most became more open once Amelia explained that the exercise was part of a research initiative rather than a judgement of their eating habits. She found that giving students a clearer understanding of the activity before they reached the tray return area improved their willingness to join in.

For the future, she noted that more visible signage and proactive explanations could significantly boost participation and understanding.

Key takeaways from the Weigh the Waste events:

• 49 students participated
• 2.039 kg of food waste collected at Wilkins (Bloomsbury)
• 3.236 kg of food waste collected at Marshgate (UCL East)
• Most wasted foods: chips and rice
• Example: 188g of chips = 752g CO₂ emissions

 

Surveying Student Attitudes

To explore student attitudes in greater depth, Amelia also conducted an online survey titled A Student Survey to gather attitudes towards food waste at UCL. Although only fifteen students responded, the results offered valuable insights.

Many students were aware of the issue of food waste yet still contributed to it for reasons beyond their control. A common theme was uncertainty around how a dish might taste, which led to uneaten portions. Others felt that portion sizes did not match their appetites - some found them too large, while others thought they were too small. Amelia pointed out that flexible portion options could address this divide, ensuring meals are both satisfying and less likely to end up in the bin.

She also found a surprising lack of awareness about how buying loose fruit and vegetables could reduce food waste, which tied in directly with the official theme of Food Waste Action Week 2025.

 

Spreading the Message on Social Media

To amplify the campaign online, Amelia produced a short Instagram video to promote the week’s activities and explain the broader issues of food waste. The video was upbeat, informative, and designed to catch the attention of scrolling students. It was shared by both the SustainableUCL and FoodatUCL accounts, as well as reposted by the London-based influencer @somelikeitldn, whose story reach offered a potential audience of over 20,000 followers.

While the Instagram campaign certainly helped increase visibility, Amelia reflected that submitting the video earlier could have avoided last-minute stress and improved scheduling. She also considered that TikTok might have been a more effective platform for student engagement, thanks to its algorithm favouring reach and discoverability for smaller creators.

 

Lessons from a Low-Energy Pop-Up

One of the more challenging parts of the week was the pop-up stall Amelia set up in the Student Centre. Aimed at encouraging survey participation and raising awareness, the stall featured colourful posters, QR codes linking to the survey and sustainability resources, and chocolates to tempt passersby.

Despite being well-prepared, engagement was extremely low. Only a handful of students stopped by, and many simply took the chocolates without interacting with the display or scanning any QR codes. After investing significant time to run the event, Amelia found the lack of response challenging and decided not to repeat the pop-up later in the week.

The experience highlighted how difficult it can be to capture student attention in a busy environment, and how passive approaches like stalls can have limited impact unless there’s a strong, immediate incentive to participate.

 

Connecting the Dots

Reflecting on the week, Amelia saw clear links between the various elements of her campaign. The Weigh the Waste event provided tangible evidence of what was being wasted and how much of it was being thrown away, while the survey added context to that data, revealing the motivations behind students’ food habits. The Instagram video brought awareness to a wider online audience, helping to connect digital engagement with on-the-ground action. Although the pop-up didn’t achieve its goals, it offered valuable lessons about how UCL students engage - and sometimes don’t engage - with sustainability initiatives.

 

Final Reflections: Real Work, Real Impact

Amelia’s work showed that seeing waste can be just as powerful as reading about it. From the 5kg of uneaten food to honest conversations with students, this campaign offered a snapshot of real behaviour - and the real challenges of engagement.

The survey and events revealed a disconnect students know food waste is a problem, but factors like taste and fixed portion sizes still lead to waste. The solution isn’t just awareness - it's flexibility, creativity, and persistence.

So, what's next? Think games. Think competitions. Think better prizes. And think about how we, as a campus, can keep making sustainable choices a little easier - and a lot more engaging.