Living off-campus in Manchester for the first time
A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS If you’ve not lived off-campus before, you’ll probably find it’s a different way of living. This guide has information and advice to help you live in a clean, safe neighbourhood. There are
top tips, useful contact details and information about your bins, being a good neighbour, staying safe, and how to get involved in some great volunteering opportunities.
FIVE STEPS FOR HARMONY SIMPLE
NEIGHBOURHOOD
KNOW YOUR BINS! Your new home will either share rubbish and recycling bins with other neighbours, or you’ll have wheelie bins at the house. For shared bins, always make sure you put your rubbish and recycling into the bins, and don’t leave it on top of, or next to the bins. Please – no carrier bags in the recycling bins. For wheelie bins, there should be a sticker on your rubbish bin telling you when your collection days are, and which bins need to be put out each week. If you’re not sure, download your calendar at www.manchester.gov.uk/ bincollections If you have a wheelie bin for your rubbish and there are six or more people living in your house, you can apply for a second bin. It’s your responsibility to put your bins out for collection on the right day, and bring them back in too. If you lose your rubbish bin, you’ll have to pay for a replacement, so make sure you always bring it in once it’s been emptied each time. Your rubbish must go inside your rubbish bin; we won’t collect any extra bags left at the side or nearby. If you have extra rubbish, it’s your responsibility – not the landlord’s – to get it removed. Take it to the local tip or request a bulky collection (it’s free for the first three items). If you live in an apartment block, you will have shared recycling and rubbish bins. Ask your caretaker or concierge if you’re not sure where the bins are.
The UK recycling target is 50% by 2020, but Manchester’s still on less than 40%, so please make sure you don’t throw any recyclables out with the rubbish. Up to 70% of the average household’s waste consists of recyclable items. To order bins, request a bulky rubbish collection, find your local tips, and for more information on recycling, visit www.manchester.gov.uk/recycling or email contact@manchester.gov.uk
YOU CAN
REQUEST
ASRECYCLINGMANYBINS AS YOU NEED FREE OF CHARGE
BEFORE YOU BIN IT
N NE
THINK - UP TO 70% OF YOUR BIN CAN BE RECYCLED What What can can go go in in your your blue blue bin bin Food and drink cartons cartons drink
Cardboard Cardboard
Newspapers, Newspapers, magazines, magazines, comics comics and and waste waste paper paper
Telephone Telephone directories directories
BBR BRREEAAKF EAKKFAAS FASSTT T
Go Go od Good M Mor orodni ning M ng!!! or ni ng
I LLYY D A DA A II LY
W SS D N N EE W
TTIS ISSSUUEESS
Paper and and card card based based materials materials only only Paper
Plastic Plastic bags bags
Plastic Plastic fifilm lm What What can can go go in in your your brown brown bin bin Foil, foil trays and Foil, takeaway trays trays takeaway
Plastic Plastic bottles bottles
Drinks Drinks cans cans Glass Glass bottles bottles and and jars jars
SALON SALON SALON STYLE STYLE STYLE H H O HA MP PO HA AM MPO
SS S
O OO
Food Food tins tins
Polystyrene Polystyrene
Milk Milk bottles bottles
Aerosols Aerosols
Plastic Plastic BOTTLES BOTTLES only only –– we we cannot cannot recycle recycle other other sorts sorts of of plastic plastic Plastic Plastic fifilm lm
Plastic Plastic bags bags
Plastic Plastic Food Food trays trays
Plastic Plastic toys toys
Yoghurt Yoghurt pots pots
Plant Plant pots pots
Food Food and and Garden Garden Waste Waste
Bottle Bottle tops tops
What What can can go go in in your your green green bin bin
Dairy Dairy products, products, eggshells eggshells
Cooked Cooked and and raw raw meat meat
Fruit Fruit and and veg veg peelings peelings
Twigs Twigs and and branches branches
Cut Cut flflowers owers Pies Pies and and pastries pastries
Grass Grass cuttings cuttings and and hedge hedge clippings clippings
Leaves Leaves and and weeds weeds
Bread Tea bags bags Meat Bread products products Tea Meat and and fifish-bones sh-bones We can’t empty heavy bins – don’t put We can’t empty heavy bins – don’t put soil soil and and rubble rubble in in your your bin bin Plastic Plastic bags bags
Bin Bin liners liners
Garden Garden furniture furniture
Japanese Japanese knotweed knotweed Soil Soil and and building building rubble rubble
Plant Plant pots pots 4 4
DAI LY
LY S DAI S DAI LY NE W NE W S DAI NE W
To order recycling containers or for more information, visit www.manchester.gov.uk/recycling or email contact@manchester.gov.uk
BE
ANEIGHBOUR GOOD
enjoy &
where you live
Both The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University work hard to build good relationships with local communities across Manchester. As a student, you are an ambassador of your university in the local community. The universities expect you to have a positive impact on your community and be a good neighbour. You can do this by being considerate to neighbours, especially in terms of noise levels and rubbish. We work very closely with Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police throughout the year to ensure that when any problems arise they are managed quickly and effectively. We take community complaints seriously and, where appropriate, follow up complaints with further action.
Top tips: I ntroduce yourselves to your neighbours on the street or in your building, and build up a relationship with them e considerate to those around you: many B households are families and not students eep your garden clean and tidy, and make K sure you bring your bins in after collection.
VOLUNTEERINg TO TIME YOUR GIVE SOME
If you want to volunteer in your local area, why not join our Good Neighbours Scheme? As part of this new scheme, students volunteer alongside local resident groups to improve their local area. Contact goodneighbours@manchester.ac.uk to sign up or visit www.manchesterstudenthomes.com/community
COMMUNITY
CHOOSE SAFE TO BE
Manchester is one of the safest places in which to live and work, but don’t forget that when you live in a city you should not be complacent about your safety. By taking a few simple precautions at home and when travelling, you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. Home security: top tips If your home has an alarm, use it. Lock your doors and windows – including upstairs windows. Keep your laptop, car keys, smart phones and other valuables out of sight. Register your property on www.immobilise.com If everyone is going out, leave a light or radio on and draw the curtains to give the impression someone’s in. Use low-energy light bulbs if possible. A good deterrent is a rear light, as it makes an intruder feel exposed. Check to see if you have a rear light that works. If you do not have one, contact your landlord.
Useful contacts In an emergency dial 999 Police non-emergency: 101 Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 gmp.police.uk/students facebook.com/mcrstudentsafer
Personal safety: top tips Be aware of your surroundings when you have your headphones on and when using your mobile phone. Walk facing the traffic so a car cannot suddenly pull up behind you. If you want to travel by taxi, use a licensed cab or private hire vehicle from a recognised firm or official taxi rank. You should only ever flag down a hackney cab. You will need to book a private hire minicab with the company. Travelling by public transport? Plan your journey at www.tfgm.com Try not to use a cashpoint late at night or in a deserted place, and never count money in the street – put it away immediately. Stop, look and check the machine for anything unusual. If in doubt, do not use. Look out for the Student Safe Zones located along Wilmslow Road/Oxford Road. If you are feeling concerned for your safety, you can drop in at any of the premises displaying this sign.
CHANGE world! YOUR
Learn a new skill, improve your self-confidence, meet new people and build your CV. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience and confidence, as well as learn valuable new skills employers are looking for. So why not spare a few hours each week or month to volunteer and make a difference? Both The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can help you to get involved with local communities, charities and volunteering projects. They: advertise hundreds of volunteering opportunities across Greater Manchester provide one-to-one advice to help you with volunteering queries run events on-campus for you to meet charities and not-for-profit organisations that want to recruit students as volunteers will tell you how to get your volunteering work recognised will keep you up to date with the latest volunteering news and events can tell you who to contact.
Make a difference — think sustainability
Across Manchester, residents and students are actively making a difference in their communities. To encourage more students to be responsible citizens, The University of Manchester has an online tool to help everyone become more aware of their actions and to make positive changes in their lives. Why not
The University of Manchester: for lots more information and the chance to browse volunteer opportunities, go to: www.manchester.ac.uk/volunteers or email: volunteers@manchester.ac.uk call: 0161 275 2828 Twitter: @mlpvolunteering The University of Manchester’s Students’ Union also offers volunteering projects. To find out more, visit: manchesterstudentsunion.com/studentaction or email: action.su@manchester.ac.uk call: 0161 275 2948 Twitter: @SA_MCR Manchester Metropolitan University: to register and search for voluntary vacancies, go to: www.mmu.ac.uk/volunteering or email: volunteering@mmu.ac.uk call: 0161 247 2211 You will also find local volunteering opportunities at www.mmu.ac.uk/students/futures and can gain points towards the MMU Futures Award for the volunteering you undertake. start your own action plan to show how you’ll help Manchester to become an even better city? The more actions you complete the more points you get, which will lead to an award at the end of the year to show what you have achieved (an asset on your CV). To start your action plan please visit: www.manchester.ac.uk/makethink
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 5 YOUR INDEPENDENCE Council tax As a student, you must register for council tax when the autumn term begins, giving full details of all the residents in your household. This will ensure that you are billed properly and that any reductions or exemptions are applied to the property’s records. If everyone at a property is a full-time student, no one is counted and the property is exempt. Students who live in a hall of residence don’t have to pay any council tax. Visit manchester.gov.uk/counciltax for more information and to apply for exemptions.
Your health It’s a good idea to register with a local GP for your time in Manchester. It’s easy to do and means you’ll be able to access medical care when you need it instead of waiting around for hours in a walk-in centre or A&E. You can still visit your GP at home during the holidays as an emergency patient or a visitor. Need urgent health advice? Call the NHS on 111 or check the advice online at www.choosewellmanchester.org.uk
The way you register to vote has changed and every voter is now responsible for registering themselves. This new system is called Individual Electoral Registration. It’s quick and easy to register and you can do it online. You will need a few details, including your national insurance number and date of birth, and you can even register at your home and term-time addresses, so wherever you are on election day you can make sure you have your say. If you’re studying at Manchester Metropolitan University, you will have been asked to register for your vote at the same time you enrolled for your course, but for all other students, you need to register through the link below. Another good reason to register is that you could find it hard to get credit. Credit-reference agencies use the register to confirm where you live to help counteract fraud, so being on the electoral register will help your application. Go to www.gov.uk/yourvotematters for more information and to complete the online application.
THE WAY WE ALL REGISTER TO VOTE IS CHANGING
YOUR VOTE MATTERS
www.gov.uk/yourvotematters
MAKE SURE YOU’RE IN
Community Coffee Morning Friday 26th September 2014 11am - 12:30pm Manchester Student Homes 1-3 Ladybarn House Moseley Road Fallowfield Call Community Cohesion Intern Andrew Cross on 0161 275 7756 for more details
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.