We hope your revision and exams are going well so far. Why not take a well-earned break and read this week’s guest blog, which is brought to you by Joel Smith – Sustainability Officer. This is the first of two blogs posts from Joel providing information on a number of great initiatives aimed at helping you make the best use of your things.
What to do with all that stuff…
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 2019 is our sixth 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. 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.
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.
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.
Hopefully this list is just a starting point – and keep an eye out for our second blog post later this month with details of other great initiatives and on-campus collections.
Sustainability Joel
If you haven’t met Wookie the baby owl or his friends yet, then pop along to the next ‘Birds of Prey’ event at Duryard on 9 May or Lopes Lawn on 15 May, between 12:00-3:00pm.
For some Stress Busting fun, join in the ‘giant bubble challenge’ and enjoy some free ice cream – brought to you by the Residence Life Team. These one-hour sessions will be held at various residences both on and off campus – further details about dates and times are available on the Residence Life event page and on our Facebook page.
Whether it’s a scenic walk along Dartmoor, a trip to Cornwall or some animal therapy at Paignton Zoo, we have lots of opportunities for you to escape from the revision for a day! To find out dates and book your tickets, visit the online store.
Accommodation Priscilla