As Students Prepare to Move Out, Major Recycling Push Underway
Residence Life and its partners are collecting items under an initiative to reduce landfill waste while offering future students less expensive options for preparing for college life.

University Relations - Communications
May 3, 2016


A new initiative is underway to collect materials from University of Arizona students that may then be resold as surplus items at the start of the new academic year. 

For decades, Residence Life has encouraged students to donate clothing, books, appliances and other unwanted items at the end of each academic year.

Now, in partnership with several UA units and organizations, Residence Life is piloting a mass donation drive at five residence halls – each located on North Highland Avenue – to help establish a more expanded and structured waste diversion and donation program, with a resale component.

"We do run a donation program in all of the halls, but a large amount of materials is still thrown away," said Jill Ramirez, Residence Life's senior coordinator for sustainability education.

Last year, about 36 tons of material was collected specifically for donations, Ramirez said.

"We do get so much already, but we are hoping to collect a higher percentage," she said. "The more we can recycle and reuse, the better we will be able to cut down on our carbon footprint while on campus."

The Move Out Collection Pilot Project will run May 5 through May 13, which is the day residence halls close to students. Student ambassadors have been hired to help collect and sort donated items during those days and will be stationed by dumpsters on rotation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to collect items from the five residence halls: Apache-Santa Cruz, Colonia de La Paz, Graham-Greenlee, Hopi and Likins.

The collaborative team plans to collect television sets, microwaves, refrigerators, plastic drawers, bicycles, kitchen supplies and chairs, among other items, which will then be stored in the storefront located at 3740 E. 34th St. and operated by UA's Procurement and Contracting Services, one of the partners on the new initiative.

During the summer months, the UA Office of Sustainability will hire two student employees who will sort, clean, inventory, tag and price such items for resale. Items found to be in good shape will be made available for purchase during the fall residence hall move-in, and funding generated will help to expand the program from a pilot to a campuswide initiative, and perhaps also support other sustainability efforts, Ramirez said.

In addition, certain items — like non-perishable food items, clothing, bedding, cleaning supplies and bathroom toiletries — will be donated to several local organizations.

Partners include the UA Office of Sustainability, the UA Green Purchasing Team and the UA Green Team.

"Without these students and staff working tirelessly, programming that benefits the greater good could not be successfully sustained," said Samantha Orwoll, a double major in psychology and speech, language, and hearing sciences, who is also the project manager for the Green Purchasing Team, which is funded by the UA's Green Fund.

In addition to helping prevent items from ending up in landfills, the program is also meant to provide students with less expensive items necessary for college living, Orwoll said.

"Students buy very similar items every year. By donating, they are giving another student the ability to purchase what they need at greatly reduced prices," Orwoll said.

"This project does more than divert waste though; it also creates an awareness how sustainability initiatives benefit more than just trees. It can be financially beneficial," she said. "It is critical to the University's sustainability efforts that students are on board. I think this project allows students to see how they can make a positive difference and how huge of an impact reusing rather than dumping materials can make."

Extra info

What

Move Out Collection Pilot Project

Where

Apache-Santa Cruz, Colonia de La Paz, Graham-Greenlee, Hopi and Likins residence halls

When

May 5-13 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A tent sale is scheduled for Aug. 17 and 18, to be held in the Highland Bowl, located just east of the Tree Ring Laboratory. This sale will be open to the campus community and the general public. Anything left unsold will be offered for sale at the UA Surplus Storefront, located at 3740 E. 34th Street.

The Surplus Storefront is open to the public Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. More information about UA surplus is available online: http://pacs.arizona.edu/surplus.

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