Students on the Move boosts recycling in Cathays and Plasnewydd — Cardiff 2026

Key Points

• Cardiff Council’s Students on the Move campaign ran from 15 June to 5 July to support student move-outs in Cathays and Plasnewydd.
• The Big Takeaway drop-off sites and other services helped reuse and recycle just under 18,000kg of student unwanted items.
• Total reused/recycled material: 17,493kg (12,592kg in Cathays; 4,901kg in Roath).
• Donations included 587kg of non-perishable food to Cardiff Foodbank.
• Outreach engaged 5,029 students: 1,001 at outreach events, 481 via door-to-door, 3,547 at pop-up sites.
• Enhanced cleansing and enforcement removed 11.68 tonnes of residual waste and 3.78 tonnes of bulky waste.
• Over 1,280 engagement and education letters were sent to landlords; more than 250 properties will receive Community Protection Warnings.
• Council credits collaboration with universities, students’ unions, landlords, charities and staff for improved recycling performance compared with 6,422kg in 2024 and 7,131kg in 2025.

Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) July 7, 2026 – As reported by a Cardiff Council statement, the authority ran its Students on the Move campaign between 15 June and 5 July to help thousands of students leaving the city for the summer to dispose of unwanted items responsibly. The council worked with universities, students’ unions, landlords and local charities to provide a range of services — including pop-up recycling sites, outreach events, door-knocking, and enhanced street cleansing — designed to reduce fly-tipping, increase reuse and recycling, and keep student neighbourhoods tidy.

How much material was reused and recycled during the move-out period?

The council said the programme delivered its strongest recycling performance to date, collecting 17,493kg of unwanted items from students across the city. The breakdown given by the council shows 12,592kg collected in Cathays and 4,901kg in Roath. These figures represent a marked increase from prior years: 6,422kg in 2024 and 7,131kg in 2025.

What were the main elements of the Students on the Move campaign?

Cardiff Council described several complementary measures:

• The Big Takeaway: a reuse and recycling initiative with convenient drop-off locations in Cathays and Plasnewydd that gave students an alternative to leaving items on the street and enabled charities and community organisations to reuse goods.
• Pop-up recycling sites located in student neighbourhoods between 15 June and 5 July.
• Outreach, including events, door-to-door engagement and visits to pop-up sites, where officers offered recycling advice and information on disposal options.
• Enhanced cleansing operations and targeted waste enforcement patrols at known hotspot locations.

How many students and households did the council engage directly?

According to the council’s figures, officers engaged with 5,029 students during the campaign through:

• 1,001 students via outreach events,
• 481 students via door-to-door contact,
• 3,547 students at pop-up recycling sites.

What other items and donations were collected?

The council reported an additional community benefit: students donated 587kg of non-perishable food to Cardiff Foodbank during the move-out period. The campaign also resulted in the removal of 11.68 tonnes of residual waste and 3.78 tonnes of bulky waste through enhanced cleansing operations.

How did the council manage landlords and problem properties?

Cardiff Council said waste enforcement officers issued more than 1,280 engagement and education letters to landlords across Cathays and Plasnewydd explaining how waste should be presented. As part of ongoing enforcement, more than 250 properties will receive Community Protection Warnings where standards were not met.

What did councillors and officials say about the campaign’s results?

Cllr Ed Stubbs, Cabinet Member for Frontline Services at Cardiff Council, was quoted in the council release thanking students, residents, universities, students’ unions, landlords, charities and council staff for their support. He said the additional resources — extra services, enhanced waste enforcement and increased street cleansing — helped minimise disruption for residents and increased recycling and reuse while supporting local charities.

Which organisations partnered with Cardiff Council on this initiative?

The council stated that it collaborated closely with the city’s universities, students’ unions, landlords, and local charities and community organisations to run the drop-off sites and outreach activity, ensuring donated and reusable items could be redirected away from streets to organisations that would make further use of them.

Background of the development

Cardiff has a longstanding challenge each summer when thousands of students leave the city and unwanted items are frequently left on pavements, increasing litter, fly-tipping and cleansing costs. In response, Cardiff Council has developed the Students on the Move campaign in recent years to formalise alternatives: temporary drop-off sites, targeted communications, extra cleansing teams and enforcement activity. The Big Takeaway and pop-up recycling sites were methods designed to divert usable goods to charities and reduce the environmental and visual impact of student move-outs. Previous campaigns collected 6,422kg in 2024 and 7,131kg in 2025, showing a trend of incremental improvement that the council aimed to accelerate through wider engagement and partnership working in 2026.

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Prediction: How this development can affect students, residents and local services

• For students: easier, more convenient options to dispose of or donate unwanted items should reduce the risk of receiving enforcement action and help redirect goods to charities, making move-out less burdensome and potentially lowering refuse-related costs for students.
• For residents: increased recycling and enhanced cleansing during peak periods should reduce street clutter, improve neighbourhood appearance, and cut the short-term nuisance caused by large-scale move-outs.
• For landlords: sustained engagement and the issuing of Community Protection Warnings may prompt improved waste management practices at multi-occupancy properties and clearer communication to tenants about waste presentation.
• For charities and community organisations: higher volumes of reusable items and food donations can provide more resources to support beneficiaries, though charities may need capacity to process and redistribute larger donations.
• For Cardiff Council and local services: successful diversion of reusable goods and increased engagement can lower long-term cleansing and disposal costs, but continued resources for outreach, pop-up sites and enforcement will be required to maintain or improve current performance.