Student initiative helps Westminster students save money and reduce waste

What inspired you to create the Second-Hand Space initiative?

The idea started with a problem I had experienced myself and among friends. International students often move accommodation or finish their studies with many perfectly usable items still left in the UK, and it can be difficult to know what to do with them. At the same time, new students are arriving and may need exactly those kinds of everyday items. I saw an opportunity to connect those two needs through reuse rather than allowing useful things to become waste.

What interested me was that it addressed several issues at once: reducing waste, helping students save money and creating a practical way for students to support one another.

Can you tell me about the journey from your initial idea to running the pilot event?

The journey was much more involved than simply deciding to hold a swap event. I first researched the problem and benchmarked similar initiatives, including speaking with the Sustainability Team at Queen Mary University of London and learning from existing activities at Westminster. I also conducted an initial student survey to understand whether students were interested, what types of items they wanted and where and when an event would be most accessible.

From there, I developed the business case, project plan, risk and stakeholder management arrangements, item-acceptance criteria, promotion strategy and token-based exchange system. The concept was then tested through a pilot at the University's Marylebone Campus, which gave me practical evidence and experience that I could use to improve the final event at Harrow Hall.

What were some of the biggest challenges you had to overcome?

One of the biggest lessons was that real projects rarely develop exactly as planned. For example, the original pilot venue became unavailable and due to examination-period attendance and a planned TfL strike, I also had to reconsider the timings. There were also practical challenges around health and safety, deciding which items could be accepted, the storage, volunteer capacity and attracting enough donations and participants.

Those challenges became one of the most valuable parts of the experience. I learned that project management is not about producing a perfect plan and expecting reality to follow it. It is about creating enough structure to recognise when circumstances change, understand the implications, make informed decisions and adapt without losing sight of the purpose of the project.

Why do you think initiatives like this are so important?

I think reuse initiatives are valuable because they connect sustainability with something immediately useful in people's everyday lives.

Sustainability can sometimes feel abstract, but exchanging an item makes the circular economy very tangible. Extending the life of an item reduces unnecessary waste and can also save another student from having to buy the same type of item new.

The feedback reinforced this. Sustainability and reducing waste was the strongest motivation among respondents, while saving money and convenient access on campus were also important reasons for taking part. For me, that combination is important: sustainable behaviour becomes much easier to encourage when it is also convenient, useful and relevant to people's everyday lives.

What has been the most rewarding moment and did anything surprise you?

The most rewarding part was seeing students respond positively to something that had started as a problem I had noticed and worked towards fixing. Seeing people actually use it made all of that work feel tangible.

Across the two events, 51 students attended and 40 reusable items were exchanged, exceeding the project's original minimum exchange target. Post-event feedback was also very positive, with 85.2% of respondents rating their experience four or five out of five.

But the numbers were only part of it. What stayed with me most were the conversations I had with students during the event, with students close to graduating saying that they wished an initiative like this had existed when they first arrived. 

I was also surprised by the level of demand at the final event. It ran around an hour and a half longer than originally scheduled. Operationally, that created a challenge, but it was also a positive signal!

How has working on this module helped you develop your skills and what have you learned from leading a real-world initiative?

The project changed my understanding of project management because I had to move from learning methods and frameworks to being accountable for an actual outcome.

I managed the project from start to finish. That meant working with different stakeholders, coordinating volunteers, managing risks and changes, making decisions when plans did not work as expected, collecting and analysing participant feedback, and ultimately developing a business proposal for the University based on the evidence generated through the project.

I developed skills that go beyond a textbook, like how to approach people, build stakeholder support around an idea, respond constructively when somebody says no or does not respond, and keep moving when there is uncertainty.

The biggest lesson for me is that project management is fundamentally about people as much as processes. A plan gives you structure, but collaboration, judgement and adaptability are what allow you to deliver when circumstances change.

I was also very fortunate to have the support of my Course Leader, Dr Dania Issa, whose guidance helped me navigate both the academic requirements and the practical challenges of delivering a real project.

What advice would you give to students who have an idea for a project?

Start before everything feels perfect. An idea becomes much easier to evaluate once you speak to the people who would actually use it. Ask questions, test your assumptions and start with something small enough to deliver.

I would also say that setbacks should not automatically be interpreted as proof that an idea is not viable. During Second-Hand Space, some of my original assumptions did not work out as planned. Those moments forced me to find alternatives and ultimately strengthened the project.

Most importantly, document what you learn. Even a small pilot can be valuable if you can demonstrate what worked, what did not and what you would do differently next time.

How do you think Zone29, the University's new home for careers and enterprise, can support you going forward?

I see Zone29 as a potential bridge between an academic project and what comes next professionally. Going forward, I would like to use Zone29's environment to help translate that experience into the next stage of my career by connecting with employers, mentors and people working across product and project management, innovation, sustainability and business transformation.

I am also interested in the enterprise side. Universities bring together students from different disciplines who are constantly testing new ideas, while organisations outside the University are looking for talent and fresh perspectives on real business problems. I think spaces like Zone29 can help create more of those connections, giving students exposure to real challenges while giving organisations access to emerging talent and new ways of thinking.

For me, the value of Zone29 is therefore broader than finding a job. It can be a place where students continue developing ideas, professional networks and opportunities beyond the classroom.

What are your hopes for the future?

In the short term, I would like to remain involved in Second-Hand Space and explore with the University how the initiative could be refined and developed further. The project has already generated evidence and recommendations, but I see the pilot as the beginning of that conversation rather than the final version of the idea.

Professionally, I want to build on what I have learned through my MSc and this project in roles where I can understand real needs, work across different stakeholder groups and turn ideas into measurable outcomes.

Longer term, I hope to be known as someone who does more than manage plans and deadlines — someone who can identify a meaningful problem, understand the people affected by it, bring the right people together and turn an idea into something that creates practical value.
Second-Hand Space started as a student project, but it has given me a much clearer understanding of the kind of professional I want to become.

Find out about the School of Management and Marketing at the University of Westminster.

Learn more about sustainable development at Westminster.