Moving On

Supporting the British Heart Foundation to continue its leading work in fighting coronary heart disease 

The Moving On project redirects unwanted items that have been donated by students leaving Halls to charity, raising funds and reducing environmental impacts by diverting items from waste and recycling.  

Last year students leaving halls across campuses in Exeter and Penryn donated their unwanted items to the BHF generating £70,125 of income.  This means they have succeeded in breaking the annual record yet again by donating 4,675 bags of unwanted items.  This equates to over 37.36 tonnes of unwanted items - all diverted from landfill, and the weight of more than 5 African male elephants!  

Donation points can be found across our campuses throughout the year, although The Moving On project focuses on May to September.  The average student generates between 10-20kg of reusable items a year, including stationery, kitchen appliances, books, clothes and bedding. To stop items that are in good condition being thrown away at the end of term, donation points have been installed within halls of residence, and there are collection banks on campus. All donations are sold in the BHF shops. 

The University has a ten-year partnership with the British Heart Foundation which enables students to directly support the charity and help continue its leading work in fighting coronary heart disease. The partnership also offers volunteering opportunities to both students and colleagues and students receive a 10% discount in their shops. 

Tim Reeves, University Account Executive at British Heart Foundation said: “We are really grateful for the continuing support at Exeter University and the number of bags donated last year exceeded all our expectations. Each year, using these donations, BHF shops and stores raise millions to help the BHF fund lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases, and we couldn’t do this without the continued support of students, like those in Exeter.” 

Nigel Morris, Sustainability Manager (Circular Economy) at the University of Exeter said: “To still be breaking records after a decade of partnership is an amazing result and announcing this performance in the year our Circular Economy & Sustainable Resource Management Strategy 2030 is published is particularly encouraging for the future. Our Moving On project now sits alongside other internal gifting initiatives so I want to thank our students for their incredible levels of support and engagement. By further aligning our behaviours to the principles of the circular economy and driving sustainable change, the University is able to support those in need, contributing to the funding of vital research, whilst assisting our drive for the reduction in waste and working towards our journey to environmental net gain and net zero.” 

Between 2014 and 2022, this scheme has seen over £300,000 raised for charity and over 1,000 tonnes CO₂ equivalent diverted from landfill. 

Donation points are permanent fixtures on campus that can be utilised all year round. 

The average student generates between 10-20kg of reusable items a year, including stationery, kitchen appliances, books, clothes and bedding.