Students on the move 2024
Students, landlords – take the stress out of moving day and start summer smiling!
Sort out for summer
Don’t risk losing your deposit, start sorting out for summer now! The end of term will be here before you know it. But before you can fully enjoy the summer, you need to decamp from your student house and get that deposit cash back in your pocket.
What to do with your stuff at the end of term
Clothes you haven’t worn since Freshers Week? Sell them! The TV you and your flatmates found in a charity shop? Take it back! Furniture that absolutely will not fit in the car home? Sell it, donate it, or book a bulky item collection from the council.
After years of helping students move out, we’ve got an answer for everything. Find all the ways you can legally, safely and responsibly deal with your end of term waste on this page or by downloading the Students On The Move guide.
Sell it
If it ain’t broke, don’t chuck it! Turn your preloved stuff into cash and fund your summer fun by selling it online. Clothes, furniture, accessories, electrical stuff, you name it – someone else is going to love it as much as you once did. Try: Depop, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Gumtree, Vinted.
Want to try your hand selling IRL? Bristol has some famously good car boot sales – don’t finish your uni days without experiencing one. You could make some cash, meet some great characters and maybe even pick up a painting for £2 that turns out to be worth £20,000! Maybe.
Donate it
Got a good-quality, preloved but unwanted item but don’t have time to sell it? Easy: donate it instead. Try:
- Bristol Big Give – donation bins can be found across the city and on the UWE and UoB campuses
- Local charity shops – a quick google search will point you in the right direction
- Bristol Waste Reuse Shops – find them at our recycling centres
- Freecycle – visit freecycle.org to get started
Recycle it
If it’s not fit to resell, do your bit for the environment by sorting and recycling your unwanted stuff.
- Make the most of the kerbside recycling collections that happen every week. Heads up: you might need to put your bins out more than once before moving day.
- You can use your student ID to get in to a reuse and recycling centre without booking or proof of address in June and July. The centres are a great one-stop shop for donating, recycling or binning your end-of-term waste.
- Book a bulky item collection from your door from as little as £25. To book your pick-up, visit bristol.gov.uk/bulkywaste
If you can't do anything else with it…bin it
If you can’t sell it, recycle it or donate it, don’t leave it in a pile for someone else to clear up – do the right thing and put it in a bin. Use your household wheelie bin, hire a really big bin with your student discount, or take it to one of the on-street Sort Out For Summer bins.
The campaign bins will be dotted around Bristol’s streets in June and early July during the peak of the move-out period.
Find your nearest Students On The Move bin
The campaign bins will be out from 14 June 2024 to 5 July 2024 and are emptied daily Monday -Saturday. They are monitored for fly-tipping (leaving waste on the street) by the council's neighbourhood enforcement team.
In The Loop Bin – Assembly Rooms Ln
Student bin – Cromwell Road
Student bin – Cromwell Road 1
Student bin – Alma Vale Road
Student bin – Lower Park Row
Student bin – Winsley Road
Student bin – Gloucester Street (Clifton Village)
Student bin – Berkeley Square
Student bin – Byron Place
Student bin – Upper Byron Place
Student bin – Holly Court
Student bin – Clarence Place
Student bin – Alfred Place
Student bin – Little Paul Place
Student bin – Paul Street, Clifton
Student bin – Oakfield Place
Student bin – Oakfield Road
Student bin – John Carrs Terrace
Student bin – Cotham Brow
Student bin – Hampton Road 1
Student bin – Hampton Road 3
Student bin – Hampton Road 2 (Hampton Park Junction)
Student bin – Arley Cottages
Student bin – Arley Hill 1
Student bin – Arley Hill 2 (Nugent Hill junction)
Student bin – Cotham Hill
Student bin – Charlotte Street
Student bin – Whiteladies Gate
Student bin – South Road (Redland Grove junction)
Student bin – Toronto Road (Keys Avenue junction)
Student bin – Whiteladies Road
Student bin – Berkeley Place
This bit is important: don't risk your deposit!
Waste left on the street, even if it’s next to a full bin, is fly-tipping and can land you with a hefty fine. Every year fines are handed out around student move-out time and failure to pay can lead to prosecution. If the bin is full, wait until it’s empty before adding your rubbish. Students On The Move bins are emptied every weekday so you won’t have to wait long!
Bristol Waste, Bristol City Council and the universities are working together to support students on the move with additional crews and waste disposal sites, easier access to the recycling centres, discounts on bin hires and information on how to dispose of waste properly.
Your university expects you to be a considerate member of the community and they say that “non-compliance with council waste and recycling collection procedures (rubbish goes in the bin, not next to it) can lead to disciplinary action being taken.” And that might put a downer on your summer plans. Turns out summer starts when you put the bins out.
Your landlord needs to ensure your house is structurally sound, is safe and in good repair, and that there is gas, hot water and electricity. Your landlord is not responsible for that desk you no longer need. Get set for a stress-free moving day by knowing how to sell it, donate it, recycle it or bin it responsibly. Don’t risk your deposit by leaving rubbish in your garden or on the street.
Make sure the house is totally empty when you leave
“My top tip for moving out would probably be making sure that the house is totally empty at the end, so that landlords don’t have the responsibility of moving things out, and ensuring that everything is recycled properly and the bins aren’t too full.
We didn’t do this properly in first year and ended up getting some of our deposit deducted, but we’ve made a huge effort since and have had no further problems, so it’s definitely something worth thinking about!” – Sanjeet, engineering student
Sort out your moving stuff as early as possible
“After 4 years of Uni, I’ve definitely learnt that sorting out moving my stuff as early as possible makes life a lot easier, and I’ve been using the Bristol Big Give donation points for the last couple of years. It’s been a no-brainer- donating stuff I don’t need to charity makes life easier for me, and is great for charity and the environment.” – Liam, MA Philosophy student
Donate or swap clothes you no longer wear
“Every term I try and have a bit of a clear out of my wardrobe. If I haven’t worn anything for over a year, or if I’ve bought a replacement item, I will donate my old clothes to a charity shop, or check if my friends have anything they’d like to swap. This means I can continue my charity shopping habit guilt-free, and I don’t have a huge pile of unwanted clothes to move home!” – Anna, history student
Sort out the recycling in the kitchen
“This year I’ve really tried to encourage my flatmates to sort our recycling properly! We bought different coloured bins for our kitchen, making it super easy to chuck things into the right bin without having to sort it all out later. We also have a poster of what goes in each bin above, meaning no one has an excuse to recycle badly! Working together as a flat to do something positive has been great- would definitely recommend!” – Marco, chemistry student
Find a reuse and recycling centre
Find your nearest reuse and recycling centre in Bristol. Remember to bring your student ID to get in without booking during the Students On The Move campaign.
St Philips Reuse and Recycling Centre
Folly Lane, off Days Road
St Philips
Bristol
BS2 0QS
Avonmouth Reuse and Recycling Centre
Kings Weston Lane
Avonmouth
Bristol
BS11 0YS
Landlords, are you ready for the end-of-term?
As well as our city-wide campaign, we can also offer support to landlords through our commercial services team.
To minimise the amount of waste left behind, we encourage you to share the kerbside recycling guide and Students On The Move guide with your tenants. You can also remind them that local recycling centres are available for excess or bulky waste.
End of tenancy services from Bristol Waste
If there is still waste on the property when tenants leave, our commercial services team can help. From house cleaning, site clearances and extra large bin hire to SIA accredited security and key-holding services, we can work with you to find the best solution to get your property ready for your next tenants.
To book cleaning or waste management services: please email the commercial team at commercial@bristolwastecompany.co.uk or sales@bristolwastecompany.co.uk or call 0800 061 4321.
To book security services: please call John Parker on 07976962996 or email john.parker@bristolworkplace.co.uk
