Tonnes of waste recycled after Cardiff student move-out
Cardiff Council says just under 18,000kg of unwanted materials were reused and recycled
The student move-out period is now complete, with just under 18,000kg of unwanted materials reused and recycled – in addition to all the recycling collected through the kerbside scheme in Cathays and Plasnewydd.
Since 15 June, Cardiff Council says it has been working with landlords, universities and students’ unions to help thousands of students move out of Cardiff for the summer holidays, to remove waste, increase recycling, donate unwanted items to charity and keep the streets of Cathays and Plasnewydd as clean as possible.
The council says a 'key part of the programme' was The Big Takeaway, a reuse and recycling initiative that provided drop-off locations in Cathays and Plasnewydd.
The scheme aimed to give students an alternative to leaving unwanted items on the street and ensured materials could be reused by local charities and community organisations.
The Students on the Move campaign ended on Sunday and delivered its strongest recycling performance to date, collecting 17,493kg of unwanted items from students across the city. This included 12,592kg in Cathays and 4,901kg in Roath.
The total is a significant increase on previous years, rising from 6,422kg in 2024 and 7,131kg in 2025. Students also donated an impressive 587kg of non-perishable food to Cardiff Foodbank.
Cllr Ed Stubbs, Cabinet Member for Frontline Services at Cardiff Council, said: “I would like to thank students, residents, universities, students’ unions, landlords, charities and staff for their support in making this year’s campaign a success.
"There is no doubt that when thousands of students move out of the city for the summer holidays, it can cause some disruption. By providing additional resources, including extra services, enhanced waste enforcement activity and increased street cleansing operations, we have worked hard to minimise disruption for residents as much as possible.
"By working together, the campaign has been a success. We have increased recycling and reuse, supported local charities and helped keep these neighbourhoods’ cleaner during one of the busiest times of the year."
A range of items were collected for reuse and recycling, including:
- 4,533kg of textiles
- 3,295kg of metals
- 2,755kg of electrical items (WEEE)
- 2,389kg of ceramics
- 1,348kg of hard plastics
- 1,060kg of reusable household items
- 758kg of wood
- 675kg of books
- 73kg of batteries
- 20kg of light bulbs.