WITH furniture made from recycled pallets to turning cloth scraps into soft furnishings... a city college has been doing its bit to help the environment.

Now Glasgow Clyde College is tackling food waste, food poverty and supporting its green credentials with its latest initiative.

On a Friday at 3pm all unused food will be laid out for students to take home for free.

And the initiative is being rolled out across all three of the college's campuses at Anniesland, Cardonald and Langside.

The idea is being put into action by John Clark, Catering and Cleaning Services Manager.

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He said: "One of our lecturers came up with the idea and shared it with the principal.

"I thought it fitted in well with what we are trying to do at the college with regards our work in sustainability and cutting waste so we decided to put it in place.

"My role as the catering and cleaning service manager means I manage the waste contracts and look at the waste that's produced.

"This seemed like a really simple way to cut our waste back but also to help out students who might be struggling.

"I know we, like most of the colleges, have students who might be affected by food poverty or even just need a bit of a helping hand.

"And each week taking care of the planet at the top of the agenda so we have to make sure we are doing our bit to make changes."

Students are invited to help themselves to a range of unsold dishes and snacks, including sandwiches, cakes, fruit pots and pasta dishes, from 3pm every Friday.

The food is laid out underneath posters saying the food is up for grabs.

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And it is open to anyone to take so that students don't feel any stigma attached to needing the food.

The initiative is the latest effort in Glasgow Clyde College’s wider commitment to sustainability and waste management, and follows the removal of single use cups from the Cardonald campus in late 2019.

As told in the Glasgow Times last month, the college plans to look at how it can roll the scheme out across all three campuses.

John said his ultimate aim is to remove all single use plastics from the college.

He added: "We are looking at the market at the moment to see what innovations are out there that would help us see an end to single use items with the catering department.

"The student association is very supportive and we work very closely together to make sure the students are involved.

"So something we're looking at that was suggested was maybe introduce a reward system for students who participate in the scheme."

As a result of John's efforts, recycling levels across the campuses have risen by 20 per cent over the last four years.

At Cardonald and Anniesland there is a recycling rate of 85 per cent and at Langside this is 80 per cent.

The college has also embedded an ethos of upcycling across the campuses so in the fashion department cloth offcuts that would previously have been thrown away and now used by a lecturer to make soft furnishings.

Beetroot jars from the kitchens were turned into candle holders and old pallets were turned into furniture, as just some of examples of what students have been doing.

John added: “A throwaway culture now dominates much of the UK and initiatives like this are integral in changing this attitude, as well as helping to embed sustainable practices in everyday life.”