Student circular economy initiative raises more than £66,000 for charity

A recycling initiative in which students donate their unwanted items as they vacate their term-time addresses has raised vital funds for charity.

Moving On, which is open to all students as they leave their accommodation in Exeter and Cornwall, saw a record 4,455 bags of items amassed, raising £66,825 for the British Heart Foundation. This equates to more than 35 tonnes of unwanted items diverted from landfill, the equivalent of five bull African elephants.

Through Moving On, donation points have been established across the University estate which remain open throughout the year.

The average student generates between 10-20kg of reusable items a year, including stationery, kitchen appliances, books, clothes and bedding. Previously, many of these items would have been thrown away, but now they are collected and sold off in the charity’s shops if they are in reusable condition.

The University has a ten-year partnership with the British Heart Foundation that enables students to directly support the charity and help it to continue its leading work in fighting coronary heart disease. The partnership also offers volunteering opportunities to both students and colleagues, and students receive a 10% discount in their shops.

Tim Reeves, University Account Executive at British Heart Foundation, said: “We are really grateful for the continuing support at the University of Exeter and the number of bags donated last year exceeded all our expectations. Each year, using these donations, BHF shops and stores raise millions to help the BHF fund life-saving research into heart and circulatory diseases, and we couldn’t do this without the continued support of students, like those in Exeter.”

Nigel Morris, Sustainability Manager (Circular Economy) at the University, added: “To still be breaking records after a decade of partnership is an amazing result and announcing this performance in the year our Circular Economy & Sustainable Resource Management Strategy 2030 is published is particularly encouraging for the future.

“Our Moving On project now sits alongside other internal gifting initiatives, so I want to thank our students for their incredible levels of support and engagement. By further aligning our behaviours to the principles of the circular economy and driving sustainable change, the University is able to support those in need, contributing to the funding of vital research, while also assisting our drive for the reduction in waste and working towards environmental net gain and net zero.”

For more information on Moving On and the University’s newly published strategies visit the sustainability pages on the website.