TU Dublin
ReFridge – Fighting Food Waste, Feeding Student Futures
Winner, Creating Impact
Finalist, International
About
ReFridge is a student-powered food redistribution initiative tackling food waste and student hunger on Irish campuses. Launched at TU Dublin, it collects surplus food from FoodCloud (surplus food redistributor NfP) and redistributes it to students facing food insecurity. The project has saved over 2,000 kg of food, prevented more than 3,200 kg of CO₂ emissions, and supported over 1,000 students with nutritious, affordable meals - all in under a year. Built on a model of collaboration and engagement, ReFridge unites students, staff, and partners like FoodCloud and the SVP (poverty charity) Society through volunteering, awareness campaigns, and community events. A custom app is in development to streamline logistics and enhance accessibility. ReFridge inspires a culture of sustainability from the ground up, proving that real change begins with empowered students. Its scalable model makes it a blueprint for green innovation and student-led social impact across HEIs.
Top 3 learnings
We learnt how to maximise our promotion & impact through collaborations across the university. We learnt how to expand projects across multiple campuses, increasing our volunteer base at the same time. We learnt how to secure micro funding for projects through competitions, grants and word- of mouth and maximise the limited resources for impact.
What is means to win
If we were to win this award, it would demonstrate the passionate work being undertaken by TU Dublin individuals with limited resources on a small scale that has led to widespread impact. Students and other collaborators have built a community through Refridge, making new friends, learning new ways of collaborating within the university and developing new skills in organisation, management and food safety. Refridge is a scalable replicable food bank that helps the planet and address social justice issues while helping students so winning this award would ensure that its value was recognised in our society while making a broader statement on food insecurity and food waste.
Sustainable Development Goals
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Award sponsor
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| 2026 | |
| Creating Impact | |
| Winner, UK and Ireland Finalist, International | |
