Each year, as students vacate their halls of residence, tons of unwanted clothing, kitchen items, electrical appliances, and unused food end up in landfills. To address this issue, NTU’s Sustainability Team launched the Big Clear Out, partnering with the Community Liaison Team, UPP (our on-campus halls provider) and Nottingham Trent Student’s Union (NTSU).
Collection boxes for homewares and food are placed within halls reception areas from April to August, making it easy for students to donate while maximizing impact with minimal effort.
During the move-out periods of 2022/23 and 2023/24, this initiative successfully diverted approximately 14,000 kg of waste from landfills and incineration, all while benefiting charitable organisations. This project highlights the effectiveness of collaboration among organisations and showcases the university's collective commitment to sustainability.
The scheme enhances NTU's ongoing collaboration with British Heart Foundation via the Pack for Good Scheme, which gathers donations for charity throughout the year on the NTU campus and in areas with high student populations. During the Big Clear Out, 12 BHF bins are set up in UPP halls at the Clifton and City campuses, along with external bins at Brackenhurst Campus. Additionally, crates for food collection are made available in the halls' reception areas.
From May to August, the initiative promotes contributions through posters, emails, the UPP ‘Homes at Halls’ app, and social media. Efficient collection is managed by charity pickups for BHF bins, with food caddies collected and donated by the NTU Sustainability team.
The initiative has strengthened relationships between NTU, UPP, local charities, and community groups, fostering ongoing collaboration on sustainability issues. The partnership developed between NTU and UPP has led to significantly better waste communications, and term time activities such as gardening and upcycling sessions.
Himmah, a local food bank, which the majority of "Big Clear Out" food is sent to has maintained a close relationship with the NTU Sustainability team. In a reciprocal gesture, they volunteered at NTU's Foodshare allotment on Clifton Campus. A representative from Himmah said in 2023 "[This is] the biggest donation we have received, at least during my time at Himmah…The items donated were all packed into food parcels and are being distributed to those in need of emergency food support".
Dan Ward, University Account Executive, British Heart Foundation has said "The data has shown that the donation boxes in the properties have been a huge success and I would like to thank colleagues for agreeing to place the donation points and for supporting the British Heart Foundation".
Combining the figures of the 2023 and 2024 move out periods (May to August), the Big Clear Out has so far enabled:
- ~11, 500kg kg of household items donated to the British Heart Foundation.
- ~ £20,000 worth of items donated for life-saving research.
- ~ 2,300 kg of food donated to food banks.
- ~ 4000 kg Co2e saved (if items were sent to landfill)
- Savings on household essentials for new students in 2023/24.
- Strengthened relationships between our halls providers, NTU and NTSU.
- A saving of ~14,000 kg of waste, which would otherwise incur removal costs.
- £80 raised for the Islamic Moroccan Relief Fund by the Sustainability Society through resale of homewares.
For the 2025 move-out period, the NTU Sustainability team aims to expand the Big Clear Out initiative, engaging more students and promoting savings across various waste streams. In collaboration with the Community Liaison team, they will reach out to external accommodation providers to facilitate donation drop-offs. The focus will also be on Brackenhurst campus to streamline donations in student blocks. Bedding will be donated to Dunelm’s "Textile Takeback" scheme, and larger items like lamps and fans will be recycled through Curry’s scheme. NTU teams are encouraged to collaborate with the Sustainability Team on this initiative and email sustainability@ntu.ac.uk with any queries.
Community Partnerships at NTU
We're committed to improving outcomes for staff and students, local communities and society as a whole. We work collaboratively with many community groups, charities and not-for-profit organisations, sharing resources and expertise to make a positive difference. Find out more