In 2013, a Freedom of Information request to University of Westminster revealed that Veolia carry out waste removal for the university on a rolling annual contract, which expires on in March, 2014 worth over £48K.

There has been an Israeli military occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 1967, and settlements built there are illegal under international law,according to the UK Government. Veolia Environnement is a French multinational infrastructure company that run transport links connecting Israel to the settlements. A Veolia subsidiary runs and operates the Tovlan landfill in the occupied West Bank which is used to dump wasteboth from within Israeland from settlements. 

In 2005, over 170 Palestinian civil society groups called for an international campaign of boycotting, divestment and sanctions (BDS) in defence of Palestinian human rights. The National Union of Students encourages students to campaign against Veolia including University of London Union which voted to support BDS and “pressure University of London universities and affiliate students’ unions to divest from Israel and from companies directly or indirectly supporting the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies”.

As students of Westminster University, we believe in the importance of human rights and advocate a 1) peaceful and just settlement in the Middle East is essential and that 2) our university should not, therefore, work with Veolia, which support the occupation through financial means.

Our boycott calls for the University of Westminster to allow its contracts with Veolia to expire and to find different providers and for them not take out any contracts with Veolia in the future, until they have completely stopped providing services for the Israeli occupation.

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To: 

Professor Geoff Petts, Vice-Chancellor

Mitch Dalgeish, Director of Procurement 

Alfred Bauer, Manager of Estates & Facilities Procurement 

Andy Norris, Organisational Development Advisor 

Jandi Pearman, Sustainability Manager

Palestian Solidarity Society, the student body at UoW, and the general public demands that UoW does not renew the expiring contract and/or refrain from future contracts with Veolia, and deny the the £48k waste contract to clean our campuses and establish an effective ethical investment policy to ensure UoW invests ethically in both its services and its research.

Sincerely, 
[Your name]