1 Posts
It's that time of year again. Finals and move out...
Let's face it, we've all seen it on our campuses: students throw away a lot of stuff!
(This is an image of campus move-out waste at the University of New Hampshire)
Let's face it, we've all seen it on our campuses: students throw away a lot of stuff!
(This is an image of campus move-out waste at the University of New Hampshire)
And I'm wondering what Eco Leaders at other colleges are doing about it!
Here at the University of New Hampshire we created a student-lead program called "Trash 2 Treasure" as a part of our Student Environmental Action Coalition. We set up dropoff locations in dorms and went dumpster diving to collect reusable and recyclable materials. Anything that is reusable we sell at an annual yard-sale during move-in weekend. At a 14,000 student universiy we've saved over 20 tons of waste and the funds from the yard-sale have made the program self sustaining! We're also now working with a non-profit that assists students in starting and continuing their own waste collection program: Post Landfill Action Network (postlandfill.org).
So, what does your campus do?! How do you get people on your campus to care?
10 Replies
24 Posts
Like you we got tired of seeing usable items thrown away. What we did was to partner with Goodwill Indusries. They provide the bins, students are guided to how to participate, we had almost 95% participation last year! We also offer the student the opportunity to donate to the food/clothing bank and the domestic assualt programs in town. This seems to working for us, interested in seeing what others are doing!!
1 Posts
I go to NYU and we also have a donation program. Every year we have rooms filled with student's donations and then they all go to Goodwill and similar organizations. We also have a clothing swap where we can go drop off clothes and then find other people's clothes, which is always really successful. I agree that the waste at the end of the year is so unneccesary and its so great to hear that other campuses are working to reduce it too!
4 Posts
Florida Gulf Coast University Housing & Residence Life set up donation stations during dorm check-out collecting un-opened, non-perishable food items, books, cleaning supplies, clothing, and furniture. Food items are donated to the campus food pantry. The other items are donated to local charities.
2 Posts
Luther College hosts an annual Trash to Treasure event on campus during move-out week. Students can bring their unwanted items to different dropoff stations near residence halls. Vounteers then sort and transport everything to a barn on campus where the "garage-sale" event takes place. During Commencement weekend, the boys basketball team runs the sale, as they use it as a fundraising opportunity. Anything that is not bought at the end of weekend is donated to our local thrift shop. Students can also donate non-perishable food items that are taken to the Winnesheik County Food Bank. This is sponsored by Luther College Center for Sustainability and ResLife.
2 Posts
This is so awesome. I am super bothered by all of the stuff being thrown out when students move after the semester. I will definitely push for something like this. What do you do with the funds at the yardsale? I just thought it would be awesome to have it put towards another mission, say a food bank, in the area.
24 Posts
At Catawba College everything goes to Goodwill, they set up the collection locations. From there Goodwill gives to those in need, sell to those who want and train others toward a self sustaining life with the profits.
2 Posts
Hello everyone!
I'm Brittany and I'm new to NWF EcoLeaders :) - A recent graduate of Purchase College, SUNY and also an avid environmentalist!
In my sophomore year, I worked with a small group of students to work towards reducing our usable waste at the end of the semester. We called it Freenew and students could donate items during spring move-out and then take items for free at the beginning of the fall semester! (Our website and Facebook)
Everything is free… and new to you.
We were lucky enough to have access to $30,000 fund called the Green Fee Fund (many colleges have a similar fund that students can apply for funding for sustainability projects and events) which covered the overall costs of renting storage units, paying students for their hard work, banners and other advertisement necessities.
Not all campuses have that start-up funding opportunity, which is why I'm so excited to share information about the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN)!
PLAN is a nonprofit, cooperative network of student leaders working to achieve zero waste in their campus communities. PLAN successfully joined together 9 new campus members into the network in the past year. This means that these campuses either began or improved upon their original move-out program as members of this network. Freenew joined on as a part of the network this past spring! Some campuses run a Trash to Treasure program that collects, and sorts items during move-out and sells the items back to students during move-in the following semester.
A few ways that Freenew benefited from PLAN's wide network were the one-on-one trainings provided by personal campus visits, a speaking event, guidance from the PLAN manual, and informative webinars. There's more than one way that every single campus across the country can benefit from this network.
There's so many opportunities for PLAN's network to grow in the next few months - I urge all to check out the website: www.postlandfill.org to find out more about the network and how we can benefit your campus.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions/comments/concerns via email, either! brittany@postlandfill.org
I'm Brittany and I'm new to NWF EcoLeaders :) - A recent graduate of Purchase College, SUNY and also an avid environmentalist!
In my sophomore year, I worked with a small group of students to work towards reducing our usable waste at the end of the semester. We called it Freenew and students could donate items during spring move-out and then take items for free at the beginning of the fall semester! (Our website and Facebook)
Everything is free… and new to you.
We were lucky enough to have access to $30,000 fund called the Green Fee Fund (many colleges have a similar fund that students can apply for funding for sustainability projects and events) which covered the overall costs of renting storage units, paying students for their hard work, banners and other advertisement necessities.
Not all campuses have that start-up funding opportunity, which is why I'm so excited to share information about the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN)!
PLAN is a nonprofit, cooperative network of student leaders working to achieve zero waste in their campus communities. PLAN successfully joined together 9 new campus members into the network in the past year. This means that these campuses either began or improved upon their original move-out program as members of this network. Freenew joined on as a part of the network this past spring! Some campuses run a Trash to Treasure program that collects, and sorts items during move-out and sells the items back to students during move-in the following semester.
A few ways that Freenew benefited from PLAN's wide network were the one-on-one trainings provided by personal campus visits, a speaking event, guidance from the PLAN manual, and informative webinars. There's more than one way that every single campus across the country can benefit from this network.
There's so many opportunities for PLAN's network to grow in the next few months - I urge all to check out the website: www.postlandfill.org to find out more about the network and how we can benefit your campus.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions/comments/concerns via email, either! brittany@postlandfill.org
24 Posts
I LOVE THIS IDEA!!! Thank you so much for sharing not only the idea but how to implement it. I can't wait to share this on our campus.
Almost forgot, WELCOME to the site!
Almost forgot, WELCOME to the site!
2 Posts
Thanks Colleen!
I'd love to learn more about your campus specifics and maybe even have someone from PLAN do a speaking engagement there at some point this semester to inspire other awesome students, like yourself!
Also here's a little promo video about PLAN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSyKgo226To to share around :)
xo
B
I'd love to learn more about your campus specifics and maybe even have someone from PLAN do a speaking engagement there at some point this semester to inspire other awesome students, like yourself!
Also here's a little promo video about PLAN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSyKgo226To to share around :)
xo
B
4 Posts
So at the University of Michigan, we have a special program regarding move-in and move-out trash.
Not only do we have super big recycling dumpsters (for lack of a better word) by the back of all the residence halls, but the UMich promotes donating things that students no longer want. We have large boxes that are set up in the front of the residence halls the last three weeks of school, and students can put clothes, shoes, unused food and toiletries, bedding, and household items in these boxes for donation.
We also have a program called "Take it or Leave it" where students can bring larger things, like carpets and rugs, furniture, and loft wood to the back of the residence halls. This is usually in a sheltered space and open to the public, so anyone can take what has been left and leave what they no longer want. It's a great way to make someones trash another person's treasure, so to speak.
The best way to organize these things is to take to the University Waste Management or Plant Operation team and see if they will install something like this. Donation boxes can also be arranged within residence halls relatively easy. You would just need to talk to the hall director about it.
Hope this helps!!!
Not only do we have super big recycling dumpsters (for lack of a better word) by the back of all the residence halls, but the UMich promotes donating things that students no longer want. We have large boxes that are set up in the front of the residence halls the last three weeks of school, and students can put clothes, shoes, unused food and toiletries, bedding, and household items in these boxes for donation.
We also have a program called "Take it or Leave it" where students can bring larger things, like carpets and rugs, furniture, and loft wood to the back of the residence halls. This is usually in a sheltered space and open to the public, so anyone can take what has been left and leave what they no longer want. It's a great way to make someones trash another person's treasure, so to speak.
The best way to organize these things is to take to the University Waste Management or Plant Operation team and see if they will install something like this. Donation boxes can also be arranged within residence halls relatively easy. You would just need to talk to the hall director about it.
Hope this helps!!!
