Tuesday 7 March, 2017
‘Tired’ Canterbury couple ask community to stand behind student recycling scheme By Elise Christian
A Canterbury couple known as The Green Team have proposed a student goods recycling scheme to help prevent countless reusable items being sent to landfill at the end of every academic year. Diane Hunt, 56, of Downs Road and Mark Warner, 51, of Longmeadow Way, have been campaigning to implement the scheme by May when students begin to pack up and leave, leaving waste behind. They live in the Hales Place area which has a large student population due to its close proximity to the University of Kent. The pair have hosted “pop-up free shops” on Diane’s front law where they encourage passing students to come and take free items including microwaves, printers, lamps and clothing left by previous students. The Green Team hope that by showing students the value of reusable items that might otherwise by thrown away, they will understand the benefits of a student goods recycling scheme. Ms Hunt said: “There’s precedents for schemes both globally and nationally for what we’re trying to start. I would definitely like my message to spread beyond and for other towns to start having student goods recycling schemes and recycling schemes generally. “We’re gently trying to sort of gently move people towards doing better and caring for our planet. A lot of people aren’t aware of the planet they actually live on. It’s a finite planet.” The team want the community to come together to work out how to go about implementing the scheme. They worked hard last summer with the help of friends and neighbours to collect and sort the items for their pop-up free shop, but Ms Hunt said they need the help of the community.
Tuesday 7 March, 2017
She said: “If we can’t get the involvement in some way, there will be a heck of a lot of work for us. Too much, to be frank, as we are tired already, plus affected deeply by the state of this world.” On the 28thFebruary they held a meeting at Friends Meeting House, Canterbury. Various representatives from universities and organisations around Canterbury attended and the Green Team proposed and discussed their scheme. Ms Hunt said ideas generated from the meeting included holding pop-up free shops during Freshers week at the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University and a monthly free stall in Westgate hall. The requirements for undertaking a student goods recycling scheme were also set out by the Green Team. These include the distribution of printed collection bags, transportation of recyclable items, sorting and storage space and electrical safety testing. During the meeting, there was great support shown for the scheme. The Canterbury District Green Party spokesperson, Henry Stanton, commented on what the party had to offer. He said: “Canterbury District Green Party hopes to be able to support the scheme by helping with the collection and sorting of the goods and also by promoting it to our student members. The scheme has worked well in other cities with large student populations, so there’s no reason why it can’t work well in Canterbury, which has a huge number of students and is geographically, a relatively small city.” The Chair of the St Dunstan’s Residents’ Association, Allen Tullett, said he believes the scheme can work but that a three-year time frame might be more realistic. He said: “I do think that what the Green Team proposed would, if implemented to its fullest, possibly work and help alleviate the problems with rubbish experiences in some parts of the city more than others. I wouldn’t want it to be rushed though as I could see it collapsing quickly. It needs to be made sustainable.” With summer fast approaching, The Green Team continue to work towards their May deadline.