Supporting local communities by reducing waste at Wadham

Thanks to a huge effort from our Housekeeping Team, led by Head of Housekeeping, Helen Wynn, 577kg of edible food (including opened packets of dry foods), toiletries, pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, cooking utensils and equipment, duvets and other usable items from our end-of-term clear out were collected, boxed/bagged and donated to Hearty Earth. This local initiative is dedicated to reducing food waste and supports many projects including Oxford City Larder, Jericho Pantry, and Oxford City Fridge.

Our sustainability partner and founder of Hearty Earth, Saman Jamshidifard, fills his electric sprinter van with reusable items from Wadham each term, helped by Helen and our Director of Sustainability, Frances Lloyd. At the end of Trinity, Saman took our first batch of surplus food for use in his  Kitchen Surplus Curry. Using surplus ingredients, Saman and Hearty Earth volunteers cook hundreds of meals each week and distribute them for free to local community members and to The Gatehouse, an open-door drop-in centre supporting homeless and vulnerably housed individuals. Saman took a second batch of food from Wadham to community centres for distribution to local people.

More clothes, shoes, blankets, bags and other items, including those left over from our Trinty term staff-and-student swap shop, are heading to the British Heart Foundation. The first batch of 159kg will be collected on 9 July, with more to follow. 

So far, 736kg of usable items has been prevented from entering the waste stream, including edible food and many items that would otherwise have been disposed of as general waste at the end of term. Thank you to everyone in our College community who contributed to this fantastic effort.

Wadham is unique among the Oxford colleges in donating to Hearty Earth. We hope that more colleges and businesses will start to do the same and support these great initiatives. Please contact Frances Lloyd if you would like to know more.