Extra waste measures to ensure smooth student changeover

2.21.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 23rd Jun 2008

June and July are notoriously busy periods for certain areas of Leeds, as thousands of students move out of their rented accommodation, generating a great deal of waste. This year, to minimise the consequences for local residents and the environment, Leeds City Council plans to implement additional street cleaning measures and draft in extra enforcement officers to ensure students dispose of their rubbish in a considerate, legal and eco-friendly manner.

North West Area Management has issued a leaflet for students entitled Student Changeover 2008, detailing these plans and providing useful contact numbers and important information regarding waste disposal.

The leaflet also provides contact details for local charity shops to try to encourage students to dispose of their possessions and furniture as ethically as possible. Household waste facilities are also situated at 11 sites throughout Leeds, where it is possible to recycle a wide range of materials.

Eleven temporary skips are to be deployed throughout Headingley and Hyde Park from Monday 23rd June to Monday 30th June to accommodate the additional rubbish generated during this period. The content of these skips will then be hand sorted to ensure that as much as possible is recycled. There will also be extra refuse collection services, in order to meet demand.

The area will also benefit from the services of Green Streets, a group of students who collect any good quality, reusable items (bedding, clothing, crockery, pots, pans, books, CDs, DVDs, non-perishable foods, etc) which would usually be thrown away and redistribute them to charities, hostels, shelters, and even other students, to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill sites.

Cllr James Monaghan (Lib Dem, Hyde Park and Headingley), chair of the Inner North West Area Committee, comments:

"Students in the area often get a bad press, but we have worked closely with the students' unions on this and we are confident that stationing these skips in Headingley and Hyde Park, and providing the best possible access to recycling facilities, will ensure a smooth changeover period and greatly benefit the local community.

"Waste which is illegally dumped on the streets can be distressing and potentially dangerous for local residents and the environment. It also risks fines of up to £50,000 plus 5 years imprisonment, so it is vital that students are as well informed as possible about the options open to them for disposing of their unwanted items. In order to try and maximise the opportunities available, and avoid unnecessary hassle, there is also a 'landlord amnesty' at all our household waste sites, meaning landlords can use them as much as they like."