You did it, you made it to the end of the academic year! Now, you might be summer ready but are you move-out ready?
Whether you’re moving into another student house, uni accommodation or heading back home, we’ve created the ultimate guide of what to do with the stuff you don’t want anymore. From lecture notes to fancy dress costumes to old tech, here’s the rundown of how to recycle it all.
Make the most of your recycling bins. If you’re in halls, the staff will be able to explain the recycling options. If you’re in private accommodation, you can put paper notebooks, flyers, and leaflets in the paper and card bin.
Aerosols, empty perfume bottles, bleach bottles and more go into the mixed recycling. Get a reminder of all the things you can recycle at home here.
Did you know even ripped or stained clothes can be recycled? Just make sure they’re clean and dry, bag them up and take them to a clothing bank.
Most big supermarkets have them. You can also use the clothing banks for re-wearable stuff you want rid of including your pub-golf fit. Your local charity shop will take clothes in good condition, but make sure to take donations inside. Leaving bags outside closed charity shops is fly tipping.
If you don’t want to take your heavy tins and dried food with you, donate them to your local foodbank for someone else to use.
When you’re getting rid of ancient condiments from the back of the fridge, the empty plastic bottles and glass jars can go into your mixed recycling bin. Glass can be recycled infinitely, and some of those jars might be older than you! Keep them in the loop by recycling.
Most of us have a collection of broken headphones and other tech hiding in a draw. Electricals (anything with a wire, plug, or battery) can’t go into your bins at home as they can cause fires.
You’ll find battery recycling points in most big supermarkets and some campuses have vape recycling bins. Use the Recycling Locator to find your nearest public recycling point.
If you’ve got access to a car you can take furniture and large items to 20 recycling centres across Greater Manchester. Theres a space to donate reusable furniture to Renew to be loved by someone else.
No car? Charities like Mustard Tree will collect furniture for free. If the furniture is beyond fixing most councils have a bulky waste collection service, find more details on your councils’ webpage.
You can donate everything from food to books to via the Give It Don’t Bin It donation points at the end of June. Your things will be redistributed to local charities including The British Heart Foundation and local foodbanks. Since 2012 students have donated 2,118,661 tonnes of stuff that have been shared with people who need it.
Got something that’s not on this list?
You can recycle pretty much anything at our recycling centres. Even if you don’t have a car, you can walk up to the gate and hand things over to the staff for recycling.
