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A guide to moving out sustainably
Are you moving out of your accommodation at the end of this term? We have put together this guide to help you move as sustainably as possible, including easy places to donate items on campus!
16 May 2024
As we approach the end of the academic year, thousands of UCL students will be moving out of halls to return home for the summer or to move into next year’s accommodation. Each year, a significant amount of waste is generated during move-out – whether that is fresh food, furniture, books or clothes.
Last year, during the check-out weekend, we collected 15 extra tonnes of recycling, 20 extra tonnes of general waste and 3 extra tonnes of food on top of the normal monthly waste collections. Combined, that’s the weight of 20 cars or more than 12 times the weight of all 54,250 tennis balls that are used at Wimbledon each summer!
As part of our Sustainability Strategy: Change Possible and The Loop campaign, we are committed to reducing, reusing, repairing, and sharing - eliminating single-use items and maximising the value of our products.
> The Loop
> UCL Sustainability Strategy
We have put together this guide to help you move out as sustainably as possible and reduce waste this summer.
The moving process:
The process of moving is always a difficult one when you have gathered items throughout the academic year and need to find efficient ways of packing all your belongings. Here are a few top tips for moving efficiently and reducing waste:
- Reduce waste ahead of moving out: Take time to sort through your belongings well before your move-out date. This allows you to donate or sell unwanted items gradually, avoiding a last-minute rush. Aim to complete this process in the week leading up to check-out to avoid rushing to do everything in one day.
- Use second-hand boxes: If you need cardboard boxes for your move, you can sometimes make use of leftover cardboard boxes by asking at supermarkets or pubs, or from Freecycle. That way, you are making use of existing materials, and saving yourself some cash!
Food:
If you cook for yourself often, you will naturally be approaching moving out day with some food left that you can’t take with you. There are a range of options to avoid as much waste as possible.
- Have a moving-out dinner party: In the week before moving, invite your friends over for an end-of-year dinner, with the aim of using up as many of your leftover ingredients as possible. Cooking in bulk will help you use up any half-open jars or packs of pasta, for example. Making a ‘buffet’ can be a clever way of using up all of the random things left in your freezer!
- Get some recipe inspiration: There are lots of ways to find inspiration for zero-waste cooking and to use up your ingredients. Some websites can give you ideas based on ingredients list, such as Tesco’s recipe finder tool or Supercook. Hubbub also have tips for reducing food waste.
- Ask around and share: There are always plenty of people in the UCL community who would be happy to take any unwanted food items from you. Think about who you can give things to - do you know anyone who is staying longer over summer? Speak to your hall’s SRAs and ask in any group chats. If you have friends from societies in other years who are already living in private accommodation, they might be interested in coming to collect unwanted items.
- Donate to local foodbanks: Local charities and foodbanks will gladly accept donations of in-date, unopened food items. Cans and non-perishable items are best for donations. You can read guidance on the Trussell Trust website.
Kitchen items, furniture, books and clothes:
Common items that are left behind in halls include kitchen utensils, pans, lamps, and books. Often, there is nothing wrong with these items, but students do not have the room or storage to take them. Here are some ways we can reduce this waste and give these pre-loved items a good home.
- Donate to your hall reception: Do you live in Astor College, John Dodgson House, John Adams Hall, or New Hall? Consider taking part in a new trial by UCL Accommodation. From May, you can donate items at your hall reception, which will benefit the UCL community or local charities. Remember to take the items directly to reception. We aim to expand this scheme to more halls next year. For those not in these halls, please explore other donation options.
- Sell through Hazaar: Hazaar is the zero-waste student marketplace which is new to UCL. It allows you to sell your pre-loved items, and for other students to buy them as a more sustainable and affordable option.
- Clothes donation station: We are also running a donation station for clothes on campus, in the Student Centre ground floor foyer area, on Friday 21st June, 10am-3pm. These donations will be used for next year’s Swap Shops, donated to homeless shelters, or be recycled.
- Sell elsewhere: You might also consider using platforms such as Ebay, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree to sell unwanted items outside of UCL, particularly more substantial things like TVs or furniture. For clothes, you could sell these on Depop or Vinted. It can be a nice way to make some money to put towards your summer!
- Donate to charity shops: For any smaller items good quality items, or things you don’t want to sell, you can donate to charity shops – there are lots around UCL Accommodation sites. You can use this website to find nearby charity shops.
Other waste:
For guidance on disposing of items which cannot be reused or donated, you can visit our website. Please ensure you recycle waste whenever you can to reduce our carbon emissions and contributions to plastic pollution!
