With many student tenancies in Burley and Kirkstall coming to an end this month, students and their landlords across Leeds are being offered a range of support to help keep the process as simple as possible, with a focus on being mindful of fellow residents and respectful of the local environment.
The council is working closely with the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Arts University, Leeds Trinity University and Unipol to support students, landlords and their agents to support students with the challenge of moving from one place to another on the same day, but also keeping noise and discarded waste to a minimum.
All parties are looking to continue the success of last year, when over 45 tonnes of reuseable items were collected from street clothing banks and redistributed free or very affordably through local charities Revive and Slate. A significant amount of dry foods were also donated to the Rainbow Junktion food bank.
Information has been shared via social media posts, outdoor advertising, direct communications to students by universities, as well as WhatsApp messaging from landlords to their tenants.
Unipol again has its dedicated ‘moving out’ webpage offering detailed information on how to donate, recycle or dispose of unwanted items in a responsible and timely fashion, with maps of donation bank locations together with all key information here.
The council has contacted landlords and lettings agents reminding them of their responsibilities to ensure their tenants dispose of their waste legally, contained in bins or via recycling banks.
Council street wardens will be on hand to offer practical advice during the changeover period, and additional refuse collection and street cleansing vehicles will deal with any hotspots of waste.
The household waste and recycling centres at Kirkstall and Meanwood are open every day from 8am-6pm. Leeds Rental Standard-accredited landlords can access discounted tipping on certain types of waste at Kirkstall recycling centre, where the public weighbridge is open 8am-4pm daily. Students can also access Kirkstall Recycling Centre on foot to donate to the reuse shop or deposit bulky items.
Two additional caged vehicles will also once again be in operation sponsored by Leeds Property Association and Unipol.
Council enforcement officers will be patrolling student areas to ensure waste is being disposed of appropriately, and have the powers to issue fines for non-compliance. The serious environmental crime team will also be actively monitoring areas to catch and deter unlicensed waste carriers or anyone caught sifting through bins attempting to find any valuables.
Leeds City Council Deputy Leader and executive member for communities and community safety Councillor Mary Harland and executive member for environment Councillor James Gibson said: “Leeds is very proud to be one of the biggest and most popular student cities in the country, and we are pleased to again be working with all the Leeds universities, landlords and agents to help support students leaving or changing their accommodation this summer.
“We want students to enjoy their final days in their current accommodation, and we’d just ask that they remain respectful of their neighbours and the wider community. We’re encouraging everyone to celebrate safely and responsibly, with no behaviour that causes disturbance or inconvenience to others.
“We are also offering extra facilities and support to students, landlords, agents and all parties to ensure waste is disposed of appropriately, so there can be no excuse for waste being dumped on the street or in public spaces. Moving on in a responsible and positive way is the key message for all.”
Lucy Hart, Incoming Union Affairs & Community Officer at Leeds University Union said: “Changeover is a challenging period for students, particularly when there is no crossover period from one property to the other. Students find creative solutions such as storing boxes in friends’ houses, booking storage for one night or even taking all their boxes back home before bringing it back to Leeds.
“Students’ financial challenges exacerbate this as they try to find the most affordable way to move. More support during this period is what students need. It is great to see the collaboration between Leeds City Council, universities, charities and Unipol coming together to support students this year.
“Allowing crossover periods, providing storage spaces and expanding charity collection points in student areas is what we need to expand. Hopefully the next few years we can strive to make changeover a time for cross collaboration between students, residents and other stakeholders.”
Sponsored content
