Move-out Cleanout, the annual student donation program led by the Sustainability Office, hosted its annual year-end collection programs to provide ways for students to donate items they have accumulated during the academic year. The program returned this spring for its 14th year where 18,208 pounds of non-perishable food, clothing, shoes, and new hygiene products were donated by the students, saving over 9 tons of waste from landfills. As the Sustainability Office launches its R5 program (rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, Rochester), reuse programs like Move-out Cleanout serve as examples of how waste minimization is more than just putting items into the recycle bin.
Food and hygiene items
For the collection of non-perishable foods, bins were placed at the entrance of every residence hall. In all, 2,399 pounds of food was donated with 671 pounds of food going to the Open Door Mission and the remaining 1,728 pounds going to the Food Pantry. Donated items included cans of soup, boxes of pasta and noodles, granola bars, and much more. Through this collection, good food is now distributed to people instead of ending up in the landfill.
In addition to food, unopened toiletries and hygiene items were collected and distributed to the Food Pantry and Mt. Hope Family Center. Over 85 pounds of new toiletries were donated to Mount Hope Family Center, with an additional 25 pounds going to the Food Pantry. Meghan Meyers, Assistant Director of Student Life Operations for Wilson Commons Student Activities, said that Food Pantry organizers are “grateful to our amazing team of student employees and professional staff who put in over 100 hours of work to collect, weight, assess, and sort the donations collected as part of Move-out Cleanout for the Food Pantry”
Clothing and shoes
Special collection bins were also placed by residence halls to collect clothes and shoes to be donated by students. This year, 15,700 pounds (7.85 tons) of clothes alone were donated to Goodwill of the Finger Lakes. These donations can now find new life with people across the region. Gently used shoes were also collected and sent to be recycled through the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program that aims to reduce waste by reusing materials from old shoes.
Dump and Run
In addition to Move-out Cleanout, the Sustainability Office partners with Grassroots, the largest environmental action and awareness student organization at the University. This spring, Grassroots held their annual Dump and Run collection program on May 2 and May 14, collecting items in areas across student housing locations. They collected mini-fridges, rugs, microwaves, fans, and a number of other donated items that will now be available for students in the fall.
“This was my first time participating in the Dump and Run program,” shares Sophia Nolan, co-president of Grassroots and this year’s Dump and Run leader. “I was surprised to see how many items were donated and I’m excited to give them to incoming students in the fall.”
