As part of this year’s campaign for a tidy end to the academic year, City of York Council is working with British Heart Foundation (BHF) to back its fundraising, and support students to recycle and dispose of waste responsibly.
In this, the third year of the campaign, the council will be making extra collections of grey bins or bags – whichever are usually collected – on Saturday 27 June in The Groves, Hull Road and Fishergate areas. Students leaving their accommodation for the summer and residents will both feel the benefit and are being urged to make the most of this opportunity.
Besides putting out their waste, local people and students will be encouraged to donate to BHF items suitable for sale, at 10 permanent clothing banks at key drop off points located across the city and university campuses.
These will be collected by the charity and sold as part of its Fight For Every Heartbeat campaign.
Information leaflets and maps of BHF collection bin locations and BHF collection bags will shortly be distributed to households in the three areas.
Last year 1,899 bags were collected through BHF’s special collection bins. Each had an average weight of 8.2 kilos, yielding a total 15.6 tonnes of donations which, using BHF’s estimate that each bag has a £20 value, £37,980 was raised for the British Heart Foundation by York residents and students.
Paul Morrison, Neighbourhood Safety Manager at City of York Council, said: “In September, the council will also be reminding students to dispose of waste responsibly by recycling and putting out the right bins on the right day, at the right times. Working with volunteer York St John University students, the council will be posting updated weekly reminders of these arrangements in the neighbourhoods themselves and via university social media to support all students including freshers and those new to living out of halls of residence.”
Extra ways to recycle at the end of term are to donate items to York St Johns University Students’ Union ‘Freecycle’ project or to University of York Students’ Union collects cutlery and kitchenware for reuse.
Permits are usually needed to take a van, trailer or larger vehicle of items to the council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres but students can show their current photographic student union card instead.
Students and residents living in these areas can find out more information about the one-off collection and BHF recycling bins at https://www.york.gov.uk/info/20010/waste_and_recycling/1556/students_end_of_term_clear_out