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Bristol Universities call on students to donate rather than ditch unwanted goods

Volunteers sort through piles of donated goods

Press release issued: 2 May 2017

The annual city-wide recycling scheme ‘Bristol Big Give’ has now begun. As end of term nears, students and city residents are urged to give any unwanted items to charity in order to reduce landfill waste and raise vital funds for charity work.

The project is particularly targeted towards students who will start thinking about moving out of halls or their privately rented housing next month.

Last year, the campaign prevented over 78 tonnes of reusable goods from ending up in landfill sites and generating up to £135k for British Heart Foundation and other local charities.

This year’s campaign runs from today until 14 July, during which, twenty temporary British Heart Foundation clothing banks will be placed in various locations across Bristol as agreed by Bristol City Council, Councillors and local community groups.

All city residents are encouraged to take part to help make this year the biggest give yet.

Gianni Angelini, BHF Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Bristol said: "Last year 6,500 bags were donated which translated to over £135,000 for the BHF. This funded a three-year research project, covering the costs of research equipment, laboratory materials and researcher salaries. This year we hope to do even better, as donations will enable us to continue our research into heart disease and help us develop new tests and treatments that could save thousands of lives."

The campaign will end in July when a host of volunteers will collect, sort and distribute the items left at donation points from the University campuses.

The project is a collaboration between Bristol Waste Company, British Heart Foundation, University of Bristol, University of Bristol Students’ Union (Bristol SU), University of the West of England and UWE Students’ Union (UWESU) and is part of the Love Where You Live campaign which helps to build relationships between the student body and the local community, as well as improve sustainability in the city.

More information is available on the Bristol Big Give Facebook page

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