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Moving out campaign supports local community

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Community collaboration
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A blue bin bag full of donations on a doorstep

Items donated by students during the recent tenancy changeover period in inner north West Leeds have benefitted local organisations and charities across the area. 

In June, a total of 924 bags of donations were collected, split between blue bag doorstep collections and British Heart Foundation donation banks across the area. 332 people made use of free shops at Rainbow Junktion, with further donations being shared with local British Heart Foundation charity shops. 

Moving Out Campaign

Two women holding blue bags and leaflets on a red brick terraced road.

The Moving Out campaign aims to support students and the local community during the tenancy changeover period, reducing waste and redistributing unwanted items to good use in the community. It is a collaboration between the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Unipol and Leeds City Council, with collections facilitated by our partner Right Green. 

The campaign saw a team of seven Moving Out Ambassadors delivering 7,000 leaflets and blue bags, as well as knocking on 2,500 doors in the inner north west Leeds area, sharing information on how to pass on items that they no longer needed.  

The leaflets encouraged residents to ‘Bag it, Bank it, Bin it’ and contained information on the blue bag doorstep collection scheme, donation banks, correct use of bins and locations of waste and recycling centres. A digital media campaign also targeted students living across Leeds, directing them to a dedicated campaign website full of useful information to support them when moving out. 

Those who received a blue bag were able to fill it with good quality, unwanted items and leave it on their doorstep for collection, making donating easy. 463 bags were collected over six designated collection days in June. 

Clothes on tables around the edge of a big hall.

Some of the items donated through the blue bag scheme were distributed through two free shops which were hosted by Rainbow Junktion. 332 members of the community and local organisations attended the free shops, where they were able to take items – including kitchenware, clothes and bedding - free of charge. The free shops were also visited by Headingley and Hyde Park council members. 

A group photo of the Mayor and councils with two members of the Sustainability Service

Partnerships and collaboration

A red British Heart Foundation donation bank, in front of six black bollards in a terraced, red brick street.

Throughout June, the British Heart Foundation installed four additional banks in the area for donations to be used in their local Leeds stores. 

The Moving Out campaign was also supported by a wider set of activities which included increased bin collections and activity from the cleaner neighbourhoods team, and engagement with landlords and letting agents.  

Continued support and feedback

We know that the tenancy changeover period can be a challenging time for students and the wider community alike. We’re grateful to everyone who was involved in supporting, contributing to and sharing the Moving Out campaign and other waste reduction initiatives throughout this period. 

We are continuing to work with organisations throughout the summer, as well as sharing further information and advice with students through our Halls to Homes programme. 

A formalised report on the Moving Out campaign is being finalised. Once complete, this will be shared with the community alongside an invitation to share thoughts and feedback on the changeover period as a whole. 

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We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. 

Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.