It seemed like a way to cut our waste back but also help students

dishes, from 3pm every Friday. The food is laid out underneath posters saying it’s up for grabs.

And it’s open to anyone to take, so that students don’t feel any stigma attached to needing the food.

The initiative is the latest effort in Glasgow Clyde College’s wider commitment to sustainability and waste management, and follows the removal of single-use cups from the Cardonald campus in late 2019.

As told in the Glasgow Times last month, the college plans to look at how it can roll the scheme out across all three campuses. John’s ultimate aim is to remove all single-use plastics from the college.

He added: “We are looking at the market at the moment to see what innovations are out there that would help us see an end to single-use items within the catering department.

“The student association is very supportive and we work very closely together to make sure the students are involved. So something we’re looking at that was suggested was introducing a reward system for students who participate in the scheme.”

As a result of John’s efforts, recycling levels across the campuses have risen by 20 per cent over the last four years. At Cardonald and Anniesland there is a recycling rate of 85 per cent and at Langside this is 80 per cent.

The college has also embedded an ethos of upcycling across the campuses so in the fashion department cloth offcuts that would previously have been thrown away are now used by a lecturer to make soft furnishings.

Beetroot jars from the kitchens were turned into candle holders and old pallets were turned into furniture.

John added: “A throwaway culture now dominates much of the UK and initiatives like this are integral in changing this attitude, as well as helping to embed sustainable practices in everyday life.”