51³Ô¹ÏÍø

A new sustainability and reuse initiative at Kemp Porter and Woodward Buildings has recovered more than 7,000 household and kitchen items. The items will be available free of charge to incoming students, helping to reduce waste and unnecessary spending.

Following student departures at the end of June, staff carried out a full stocktake and clearance of 171 communal kitchens across the two buildings. Rather than sending usable items into the waste stream, suitable items were collected, cleaned, sorted and prepared for redistribution to incoming students.

The cleaning and sorting work was carried out by Sheena McDonagh, Kimberley Frost, Michal Otremba and Asta Beisyte, who helped ensure thousands of items were ready to be given a second life.

For me, the most rewarding part is not just the financial value of what we have recovered. It is seeing that something which would previously have been considered waste can instead become something useful to another student. Sheena McDonagh Village Manager for North Acton

At Kemp Porter Buildings, two members of staff spent seven days clearing 73 communal kitchens, recovering 4,770 items with an estimated replacement value of £12,184.80. At Woodward Buildings, a further 98 kitchens were cleared, with 2,267 items recovered, worth an estimated £6,028.75.

In total, 7,037 individual items have been recovered, representing an estimated replacement value of £18,213.55.

From Thursday 24 September, incoming students staying in these halls will be able to access the reusable items free of charge. The initiative will help students settle into their accommodation without having to purchase as many household essentials, while providing practical support with the cost of living.

All suitable electrical items will be PAT tested before being made available, helping to ensure they are safe for continued use.

From waste to reuse

The initiative was started by Sheena McDonagh, who was inspired by seeing large quantities of usable items discarded when students left accommodation.

“For a long time, I found it difficult to see the volume of perfectly usable kitchen and bedroom items being thrown away when students left our accommodation,” said Sheena. “I kept thinking: why are we throwing these things away when another student could use them?”

Sheena shared the idea with colleagues, who helped turn it into a larger project across Kemp Porter and Woodward Buildings.

“What started with my frustration at seeing usable items go to waste developed into a much bigger project,” she said. “Thousands of items were collected, washed, sorted, assessed, and prepared so that they could have a second life with another student.”

For Sheena, the value of the initiative goes beyond the financial savings.

“For me, the most rewarding part is not just the financial value of what we have recovered. It is seeing that something which would previously have been considered waste can instead become something useful to another student.”

Building a culture of reuse

The project aims to demonstrate the difference that small actions can make. Instead of unwanted items being discarded when students move out, the longer-term ambition is to establish designated sustainability collection points across halls where usable items can be donated for future students.

By showing departing students how their unwanted belongings can directly benefit the next intake, the team hopes to encourage more students to wash, clean and donate items rather than throw them away.

The team hopes to build on the success of this year's project next year, recovering even more items and encouraging greater participation across 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's halls of residence.