Don’t Ditch It 2022 edition has been the most successful to date, with over 31 tonnes of items redistributed to charities and students so far, and over £7,600 of ECOShop revenue to reinvest into Green Lancaster projects.

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Since it started in 2010, Green Lancaster’s Don’t Ditch It project has come a long way and we are happy to report that 2022 has been its most successful year to date!

The Don't Ditch It Project promotes the concept of Circular Economy by providing collection points across campus for students and staff to donate unwanted household items. Between June and October, over 29,000 items have been donated to the project, collected by our Don’t Ditch It student team, sorted and cleaned on campus, and redistributed to charities and incoming students. The team has been working hard to ensure that unwanted items are diverted from landfill and given a new lease of life. This year, we redistributed a whopping 31.6 tonnes of items!

We partner with over 40 charities, both local and national, who collect donations throughout the summer from our Circular Resources Hub on Alexandra Park, Southwest campus, and distribute the donations to those in need. British Heart Foundation, Food For all, The Hygiene Bank and International Aid have been particularly important to us this year, taking significant amounts of food, clothes, and bedding to distribute both locally and globally.

Additionally, our 2022 ECOShop has been a huge success as well, generating record sales of over £7,600 during arrivals week and the first week of term! The money raised by the ECOShop will be reinvested in Green Lancaster and put towards the running costs of the project next year. Hosted by Green Lancaster and run by the Don’t Ditch it student staff team, the shop sold a wide range of repurposed donations from the project, including kitchenware, books, stationary, clothing, bedding, and home decor that were donated to Green Lancaster to be reused by others.

For the second year in a row, upcycled and professionally laundered bedding ECOPacks were available to purchase, helping reduce cost of living, waste, carbon emissions and contributing to a circular economy on campus.

The team is managed by Green Lancaster Manager Darren Axe, who recruits and co-ordinates a team of students to collect, clean, sort and redistribute the items. If you are interested in working for the 2023 Don’t Ditch It team, keep an eye out for ‘team member’ and ‘supervisor’ positions on the Employment and Recruitment Services (ERS) website.

After a successful Hallow’Green event in Alexandra Square on 31st October where we provided you with ideas and material to make your own Halloween decorations and costumes from Don’t Ditch It donations, we will be back for a Christmas themed pop-up event. Keep your eyes peeled for more information and join us in making this Christmas a little greener.

Find out more about the Don’t Ditch It project and ECOShop on our website.