Students bag it up and bring it in for charity

Posted 1 July 2008

A witch’s hat, a toy pony, a briefcase, CDs, cookware, boots, dishes, funky boots, a fluffy quilt, handbags and cuddly toys – no it’s not a memory test from a TV game show, but some of the reusable items collected after students were asked to "Bag It Up, Bring It In" when they cleared out their rooms on campus at Harper Adams University College.

The college year has just ended, with students vacating almost 600 on-campus rooms to return home or take up work placements over the summer. And there’s rarely room in the car to take home everything they’ve acquired during the academic year, so college recycling officer Karen Hughes introduced the "Bag It Up, Bring It In" scheme, in aid of Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and Newport Cottage Care Hospital.

The contents of the bags will be shared between the charities, for them to sell in their fund-raising shops. Karen said: "There has been good co-operation between the staff and students to help reduce the waste going to landfill by giving all reusable items to charity. The students have bagged up all sorts, which would otherwise have ended up in black bags and in with the general waste."