Choose to Reuse aims to help students to be more sustainable by providing donations later this month for charity, rather than sending unwanted items to landfill.
The campaign is being run in collaboration with Charnwood Borough Council and Air Ambulance, with the support of local landlords and lettings agents.
From 20 June, Air Ambulance will be delivering donation stickers and information leaflets through the doors of student properties in Loughborough. Students are then required to fill their own bags and boxes with items ready to be picked up at the kerbside on 28 June (Student Circle) and 29 June (Kingfisher area). Volunteers will also be based on Storer Road (28 June) and Kingfisher Way (29 June) if students wish to drop items off at a central point.
Students are encouraged to donate the following items:
- Small electrical items in a workable condition
- Accessories
- Unused toiletries
- Bric-a-brac (eg crockery and cooking utensils)
- Textiles (eg clothes, paired shoes, handbags and belts in good condition)
Jenny Ardley, Community Warden for Loughborough University commented: “We know that sustainability is high on the agenda for many people, so we have really gone the extra mile this year to make sure we can maximise recycling and minimise the amount that will go to landfill and raise money for charity at the same time.”
Cllr Jenny Bokor, lead member for Loughborough added: “We are working alongside the University and landlords to encourage students to consider how to dispose of their waste as they prepare to move out of their off-campus properties in town.
“There are a number of ways students can either donate or dispose of items which they don’t want to take home with them. I would urge them to think about what could be donated to charity in the first instance as not only does this prevent it from going to landfill but it also helps raise money for a good cause.
The items collected over the two days will be sorted and sold in Air Ambulance charity shops to raise money to help save more lives. All the money raised from the donations will also be contributed to LSU’s annual RAG total.
Students who are living in accommodation on-campus have until 2 July to donate any unwanted belongings for a range of not-for-profit organisations as part of Loughborough University’s Give ‘n’ Go initiative. More information can be found here.
The Air Ambulance Service is an organisation based in Leicestershire, Rutland, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire that has attended over 40,000 missions in just 16 years. It relies entirely on voluntary donations and support from the community and local businesses.