Our guest blog is brought to you by Joel Smith – Sustainability Officer and he is providing information on the ‘Moving On’ project and how you can donate your unwanted items to the Bristish Heart Foundation.
Retain? Reuse? or Recycle?
No doubt you’ve accumulated a lot of things over the past year and you may be wondering what to do with it all when you move out of your current accommodation. Some things will be well worth taking with you; others you may not need any more but might be perfect for someone else; and others you’d love to keep but you simply don’t have room to take them back with you.
Whatever you have, whenever you’re moving out and wherever you’re moving to; we’d encourage you to make the best use of what you have – whether you retain, reuse, or recycle. Below are a few pointers to help you make a positive impact on the environment and local community by reducing waste.
Moving On project
This project redirects unwanted items donated by students leaving Halls accommodation to charity and 2018 is our fifth year of partnership with the British Heart Foundation. It provides the convenience of donation points within halls of residence, as well as collection banks on campus. The charity will use these donations to sell in their charity shops, to raise vital funds for the cause. The donations and collections that took place at the University over the course of 2016/17 raised them over £44,000. From stationery and books to kitchenware and clothing, they will take your unwanted items and more details of what and where to donate can be found here.
Yes We Can Food Collection
This project tackles food poverty and waste all in one go by donating in-date, unopened, non-perishable food to the local Food Bank. Food items can be donated at the Food Bank donation points at James Owen Court Laundry, Rowancroft Reception, Point Exe, Ross House and Bridestowe House laundry. There may also be some collections in central campus locations so check out the Facebook page for updates.
Turntable
Local charity, Turntable, can collect your duvets, pillows, bed-linen and other items for free, providing there are no marks or stains. To book a collection (please give as much notice as possible) visit this website or call 01392 202032 for more details.
A few more things…
- Bicycles: There are two great bicycle recycle charities in the city who take donations – Ride On and Exeter Bike Workshop. They refurbish the bikes to a roadworthy condition and then sell or donate them locally.
- Furniture: British Heart Foundation also offer free furniture collections – simply arrange a collection here.
- Coats: Unwanted coats for can be donated to charity through CoLab. Simply drop them off at their hub – 3 King William Street, Exeter, EX4 6PD – between the hours of 9:30am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
Hopefully this list is just a starting point. There are many other charity shops in the city that take donations from individuals – and your ‘trash’ could well be another friend’s ‘treasure’ so why not ask around before throwing anything away.
Sustainability Joel