We petition Canterbury City Council, UKC, CCCU, UCA, GAUC, Chaucer College and other educational institutions in the city of Canterbury, Kent to create an official end of year student goods recycling scheme and year round on campus free shops. Furthermore we ask that an official well publicised scheme be in place by the next major student relocation commencing in May 2018.
Why is this important?
The GREEN Team Canterbury, a local voluntary community group, has worked hard for the past few years to expose the enormous amount of perfectly good items going to waste in landfill during student relocation, which begins in May every year and continues over a period of about three weeks. The waste is plain to see but we have found much of the contents of bins and sacks is not RUBBISH!
These include:
CROCKERY, CUTLERY, POTS & PANS, ELECTRICALS, ELECTRONICS, CLOTHES, SHOES, BAGS, CDS & DVDS, JEWELLRY, BRIC A BRAC, SOFT FURNISHINGS, TOWELS, BOOKS, STATIONERY, BEDDING, AND NON-PERISHABLE FOOD.
The sheer amount being thrown out is mind boggling, both on and off campuses, and would inundate our city's charity shop sector. Many students have no way of getting their unwanted possessions to them anyway. Added to this is the fact that most of this stuff is ideal for the following year’s students and we think that these items should be available in year round on campus free shops. There were many smiling faces when these items were redistributed at our Pop-up Free Shops over the past three summers. There was also shock that these items, some even new and unused (still sealed in their packaging!), were headed to landfill until they were covertly intercepted by The GREEN Team Canterbury.
So much more could be achieved with an official well publicised scheme that doesn’t require going through contaminated rubbish to recycle unwanted stuff. There are already numerous schemes operating both nationally and globally. This is not rocket science. This can be done.
We have been in contact with Canterbury City Council and local educational institutions for some time but unfortunately no scheme as yet has been planned. We are therefore petitioning the above to show the amount of support for a scheme and to spur them into action. Councils are being required to reduce landfill and may face penalties for non compliance with both national and Europe wide targets. Meanwhile our planet and its people are crying out for change. This would be good for all, especially the following year’s students. We think all the parties involved should work together and create a viable official and well publicised scheme in time for the next student relocation in May 2018.
So please show your support and sign this petition as well as share it widely, thanks.
Best wishes,
Mark & Diane, co-founders,
The GREEN Team Canterbury
http://www.facebook.com/thegreenteamcanterbury
[email protected]
http://thegreenteamcanterbury.zohosites.com
#thegreenteamcanterburypetition
