A university has looked to the past to come up with a greener way of helping students get rid of unwanted clutter at the end of term.
A horse and dray has been drafted in to take away re-usable items that would otherwise be chucked out during the unenviable task of cleaning out student homes in Nottingham.
The added “horse power” will be making its way through the streets of Lenton — home to many of the city’s students — on bin collection dates.
The idea is part of a waste, recycling and charity collection drive, run by the University of Nottingham and Nottingham City Council.
Recent figures show there are around 27,000 students at Nottingham Trent and 33,000 at the University of Nottingham.
Each year, there is an “annual drive” to reduce the amount of waste generated when students move out, but this is the first time a horse and dray has been brought in to help.
Cllr Nicola Heaton, from Nottingham City Council, said she hopes the horse and trap will be an “engaging tool” to remind students of their responsibilities when it comes to rubbish.
The equine helper will come direct to students’ doors in a bid to cut down the amount of waste sent to landfill.
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Kirsty Mckeown, of the University of Nottingham, said the university has a “strong commitment” to sustainability.
“Students are living as part of the community and need to get rid of their waste like everyone else, but for many this will be their first experience of moving out,” she said.
“Reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill benefits everyone and hopefully the streets will look tidier as a result.
“We thought old-fashioned horse power would be a fun, and very green, way of encouraging students and other residents in the area to think about how they dispose of items that could be put to use by others.”
The idea is also being trialled in the Hungarian village of Nagyvázsony, where bin lorries have been replaced by cheaper and more environmentally friendly horse and carts.
