Situated in Egham, Surrey, one of the major colleges of the University of London, with 7,700 students many of whom live on campus had ambitious plan to green its 135 acre site.

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Faced, at the end of the year, with students leaving their accommodation full of discarded and unwanted goods and valuable equipment, Royal Holloway decided to find homes for as much as they could rather than letting things that could be of value and use to others go to landfill

The Exercise

Royal Holloway operated a project to reuse all of the equipment on an impressively large scale. Through sheer determination, the whole university was mobilised and experienced full student participation in arranging a variety of innovative reuse and donation schemes.

Regular "Give and Take" events for students and staff were advertised using new media such as face book as well as the student press. Items as diverse as colour TV’s to clothing were available to freshers at the beginning of term.

Some of the charities benefiting from unwanted items included Egham Christian Book stall and the Besom Trust

Stretching Out

More environmental projects to be undertaken in the coming years including work on green procurement and putting in more recycling facilities throughout the college for use on campus

Feeling the benefits

• Students reported a feeling of well being for not having thrown away unwanted items and they also benefited financially by not having to buy new items
• Over 3 tonnes of goods were diverted from landfill

"This reuse project was very good for the college’s image amongst students and the local community"

Royal Holloway