Wondering what you’re going to do with all those unwanted household items when you leave at the end of the academic year? Accumulated far too much ‘stuff’ through the year to take back home? Don’t worry as the Green Lancaster ‘Exodus Charity Re-Use’ project exists to make sure that none of your items will have to go to waste!

The project involves collections at the end of the summer term of unwanted kitchenware, clothes, bedding, non-perishable food and much more. Collection points are setup conveniently across campus so you don’t need to worry about traipsing miles with all your stuff. The donations are sorted into different categories and then distributed out among a number of charities in the Lancaster area. For example, your tins and unopened packets could benefit the local homeless shelter, or your unwanted clothes could be on the rails in the local SCOPE charity shop, raising money for their work locally! We also collect from LUSU Living properties across Lancaster, so look out for further communications about when and where you can leave your donations in the Summer Term (2013).

The project has an excellent track record of collecting and distributing re-usable items. In summer 2011, we received a massive 25 tonnes of donations from Lancaster students, and so far in 2012 we have received 11 tonnes or over 8000 items!

The benefits don’t stop there as each summer the project relies on a dedicated team of students working within Green Lancaster to make sure everyone knows about the project and to coordinate the collections. It’s a great opportunity to gain real work experience on an environmental project and will be perfect experience for future employment! Keep a look out on the LUSU Jobshop for the opportunity to join the Green Lancaster team as a student staff member.