Students at the city’s two universities and residents across Bath have helped to divert 19 tonnes of waste away from landfill by donating items to the British Heart Foundation.
Photo © British Heart Foundation (BHF)
Preloved items were donated as part of the charity’s ‘Pack for Good’ campaign, which has raised £32,942 and helped to stop thousands of resalable goods from being thrown away.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) initiative, spearheaded by the Student Community Partnership (SCP), is designed to encourage students to part with good quality, unwanted items at the end of the year.
By doing so, second-hand clothes, utensils, electronic equipment and books can all be resold to help fund future life-saving research into heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors; and at the same time, massively cut down on waste going to landfill.
Donations are now being processed at local BHF stores.
The ‘Pack for Good’ campaign, now in its eighth year, provides a convenient way for students across the city to recycle any unwanted items as they pack to leave their accommodation at the end of the summer term.
This year, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the campaign did not use traditional street banks, but a Donation Map to highlight places where students could drop off items at key locations across the city, including a number at both university campuses.
Ghika Savva, Community Liaison Co-ordinator for the Student Community Partnership explained: “This is an annual highlight for the Student Community Partnership, bringing the partners together to enable students to recycle more items and minimise the impact of waste on Bath whilst raising funds for a great cause.
“We are delighted with the success of this year’s campaign and the enthusiasm of everyone involved.”
Tim Reeves, British Heart Foundation’s University Account Executive added: “We are incredibly grateful for these donations, as every item we sell in store or via our eBay shop will help us fund vital research into heart and circulatory diseases.
“If you’re having a clear out of preloved items in the New Year, you can donate to your local BHF or send them to us via our free postal donation service.”
Councillor David Wood, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “These results for the whole of Bath are fantastic.
“They go to show how important it is that we work with the Universities to help students think about how they get rid of their waste responsibly and sustainably when leaving the city.
“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to play our part in diverting waste from landfill, which should be a last resort, and raising some money in donations too. Well done to everyone involved.”
