You say tomato I say Get It Out!!

A can of tomatoes donated through the Get It Out For Cardiff Scheme has been tracked from donation point to a family in need.

The Get It Out For Cardiff re-use scheme set up 20 end of term Green Zones across the city’s student halls of residences and Unions. The Green Zones comprised of a collection for the YMCA Housing Association, Food for FareShare Cymru and Kitchen equipment for storage at Cardiff Self Storage and re-sale at the start of term with proceeds to charity.

Kieran McCann and Lucy Prisk GIOFC re-use organisers

These compliment the newly installed YMCA HA re-use banks and now Cylch Wales Community Recycling Network whose members include FareShare Cymru and YMCA HA have been tracking a can of tomatoes from a student kitchen, via a donation green zone in a hall of residence, through the FareShare Cymru depot and on to Foodbank Cardiff.

The can was destined to end up in the hands of one of Foodbanks volunteers who gave it out along with a crate of other food donated through Get It Out to people in extreme food poverty or homelessness.

Get it Out for Cardiff is the Cardiff Council initiative in association with Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan and Glamorgan University which helps students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible utilising Green Zones and YMCA HA re-use banks.

The zones and banks are located around partner organisations; Cardiff University, Cardiff Students Union, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Glamorgan University, Liberty Living and Victoria Halls.

Already over 7 tonnes of material has been donated and saved from landfill through the YMCA HA, 384 kilos of food was donated to FareShare Cymru and the kitchen equipment is being sorted ready to smash last years re-sale target for the start of term which last year raised £780 for the Lord Mayor’s charity. The final totals will be known at the start of term.

Get It Out For Cardiff is a Keep Cardiff Tidy partnership. The re-use campaign is lead by the city’s Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann and Lucy Prisk from waste management. Kieran Get It Out organiser said:

“To see the process and end result of our student donations benefiting vulnerable members of our local communities is a joy. This really showcases ongoing partnership commitments to civic pride and dedications to re-use. Thank you to all who kindly donated and to all our partners for making this such a huge success”

The photos track the can from a Local store, brought by students but unused in their Student kitchen to a door step donation from Students to Get It Out Volunteers and into one of 20 Green Zones set up for the campaign. From the Green Zone FareShare cardboard boxes it is collected by Get It Out For Cardiff organisers and taken to FareShare warehouse, where it is sorted into crates with other emergency supplies for families for delivery to Foodbank. Foodbank on Cryws Road Baptist Church then distributed via a voucher system to those in need.


All photos credited to Kath Hilsden, Girl About Cardiff.




Megan David, Community and Welfare Sabbatical Officer at Cardiff Student’s Union said: “It is really great to see the success of the “Get It Out For Cardiff” scheme achieved by the help and the donations of students across Cardiff. Cardiff Students Union is very proud to be part of a local project, benefiting the lives of members of the community which also highlights the importance of sustainability”

Megan David and fellow housemates donating food

Campaign information including pin point google maps of the locations of the Green Zones and YMCA banks can be founds via the website:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/getitout.htm

For more information contact Kieran McCann kmccann@cardiff.gov.uk
All photos credited to Kath Hilsden, Girl About Cardiff.