Get It Out for Cardiff records best year yet

Get It Out for Cardiff, the recycling and re-use campaign aimed at students in the city has had its best ever year.

The annual end of term scheme has seen recycling rates increase by 14% with a 28% reduction in complaints recorded in the Roath and Plasnewydd areas over the academic year.

As part of the scheme, 18 Green Zones were set up in halls of residences and Students' Unions across the city where students could donate clothing, food, small electrical items, books, CDs, DVDs and kitchen items. Clothes, shoes, bags, textiles, and other items were also donated to one of the 14 YMCA re-use banks around the city.

A specialist education and enforcement team in Roath and Plasnewydd promoted best use of services available such as weekly kerbside recycling, fortnightly general waste collections and the household waste and recycling centre at Wedal Road.

Professor Patricia Price, Cardiff's Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience and Academic Standards said: "Cardiff University is committed to supporting the Get It Out For Cardiff campaign throughout the academic year to make sure that students know about recycling and waste collections. Rubbish and recycling are issues that can directly affect the wellbeing of a community so it's great news that the scheme has had such a successful year."

A number of charities benefit from Get It Out For Cardiff. Food collected as part of the campaign was re-distributed by Fareshare Cymru to help relieve food poverty in the local community. The YMCA was able to directly reinvest in projects and services for homeless people at the Cardiff YMCA Housing Association thanks to the clothing, electrical items, media and bric-a-brac donations. At the start of the next academic term, kitchen items collected as part of the scheme will be sold to students at heavily discounted prices with all proceeds going to charity.