<p>My oldest son arrived home last night with his car packed to the brim with everything from his dorm room at college. Somehow he managed to fit in 2 chairs, a large (albeit flat screen) tv, desktop computer, bedding, clothes, game system and misc. stuff into his four door sedan. Meanwhile, back at his college in Salem, VA, dumpsters are almost certainly full of other kids good stuff that couldn’t be moved.</p>
<p>It occured to me that this waste of good used student furniture and odds and ends is being left at campuses across the country. At the same time rising HS senior parents will shopping for the same items for the next few months. </p>
<p>I know some colleges have the forethought to work with local agencies like Salvation army or Goodwill, but for the most part it’s a hit or miss proposition whether things are re-used and recyled or simply taken to the dump. </p>
<p>In interest of saving money and simply recyling how about if we post the names of colleges where our kids are attending and the move-out dates? Also, if you know if the colleges have a formal or informal arrangement to get give away the left overs, share that too.</p>
<p>Roanoke College, Salem VA - move out dates April 30 and April 31.</p>
<p>Univ. of MO-Columbia has a formal sale of all abandoned stuff. I’m sorry I don’t know the exact date at this time, but last year a friend of mine who lives in Columbia outfitted her son (leaving to attend a different school) with like-new appliances and other room furnishings from the sale at greatly reduced cost.</p>
<p>The problem is transporting the stuff and storage. That gap between seniors moving out in May and the start of fall semester is a problem for those whose leases don’t start until August or freshmen who might want a bookshelf or chair but aren’t there to know about the stuff piled up by the dumpsters.
My daughter is LEAVING TEXAS (I still can’t believe it) today, and had some decent Cargo furniture to get rid of. She listed it on craigslist, and would have given it way, but there was no interest. She had it hauled off by a charity. She thought a Rice student would grab it up, but it didn’t happen.</p>
<p>MOWC - What you are saying is exactly what I’m talking about. I live much closer to where your son goes to college so if you told me the date that Penn finished, I could scoot down there and see what’s available. Not that I would because it’s an hour drive but if we all posted the move out dates and the names of schools, that info would be out there. Alternatively, I’m telling anyone that lives in the town where my son was at school that there are free items in Salem, VA today! Just look for the red faced parents and students dropping things off at the dumpsters.</p>
<p>We took our truck down to my D’s school the other day to pick up her big stuff so she can just fit the rest in her car Saturday. There in a dumpster was a very nice bathroom unit (the sort that goes over the toilet and has shelves). We brought it home. i have never taken anything out of a dumpster before.</p>
<p>The schools could have a gathering point outside for unwanted stuff and have the charity stores (or cheap parents) come pick it up.</p>
<p>Need to get rid of some stuff? Can’t fit it in your car. Donate It!!</p>
<p>The annual MoveOut Collection Drive is going on now!</p>
<p>We will accept donations of reusable goods:
clothing, furniture, rugs, household items, small appliances (including
microwaves, dorm fridges), food, office supplies, cleansers, laundry
detergent, etc. </p>
<p>These donations will be collected at:
*Residence Halls 24-7 – there is a designated location in the lounge area
and near the gryphon staff office.
*Off campus pick-ups can be arranged by emailing <a href=“mailto:inmove@lehigh.edu”>inmove@lehigh.edu</a>.
*Ulrich Student Center 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.</p>
<p>All collected items are being stored and sorted in Kenner Theatre (Ulrich
Student Center). Items will be sold at the Great South Side sale and
proceeds will benefit the South Bethlehem Neighborhood Center.</p>
<p>If you would like to volunteer your time to help sort these items, email
<a href=“mailto:inmove@lehigh.edu”>inmove@lehigh.edu</a> or call 8-6674.</p>
<p>It’s nice to see so many schools doing this now. Swat has “Trash to Treasure,” open to students and locals. I’m not sure if they’ve posted the date yet, but it should be about two weeks after graduation (June 1).</p>
<p>Last year when DS moved out of NEU he had lost a substantial amount of weight during the year. He had tons of practically new clothes. I asked the RAs, etc. and there is no system for donating. I had no car and had to throw everything away.
When touring Pepperdine with DD this spring, I noted they have a goodwill donation bin on campus at all times.<br>
I grew up near UConn and the locals used to go curb shopping when the kids moved out. We would joke that you could pick it all up, store it and sell it to someone else come fall. They finally instituted a donation/garage sale day.
It’s appalling the stuff that goes to the landfill…</p>
<p>Fabulous point!!! And then we wonder why our planet is being trashed, all the wood that goes into that furniture, all the forests cut down, all the land spoiled by growing more and more cotton so we can get rid of the clothes we are just tired of and want to buy more, all the SUV’s that move that stuff back and forth across the country…I hope more and more of this is done on campuses! We can all DO something! (Now if I can only get my DS who is taking Environmental Science and studying all this, to take shorter showers…love him!)</p>
<p>There are quite a few charities that will pick up bags of clothing. Google in the geographic area you are located in for charity donation of clothes and you probably can find one.</p>
<p>I think even the kids and parents that are normally enviormentally aware are at the end of their rope on move out day. Can’t say for sure since our kids have always moved themselves out, but I can imagine if you are standing next to the car with a big pile of stuff that just won’t fit, you’re not going to be getting out your laptop and making arrangements for charity pick-up. Not trying to be rude anothermom, but I betcha that the majority of stuff that is tossed is done as a last minute space decision.</p>
<p>oh my, apparently, I’m date challenged. Is it really May already ;)</p>
<p>To follow up on Post #10, Swarthmore began a “Trash to Treasure” sale last year. Students brought unwanted items such as refrigerators, lamps, chairs, clothing to a central area in their dorm, and then the organizers of the sale brought all of the “cast-offs” to the field house on campus and organized it for a weekend sale. A gazillion local people showed up, some lining up well before the sale began, a tidy sum of $$ was raised and donated. I’m sure this could be duplicated in some form on other campuses.</p>
<p>Moveout is this week at Indiana University-Bloomington. Everyone is supposed to be out by the night of Friday, May 2nd except for graduating seniors.</p>
<p>I think some form of charity donation, selling it to the next class etc. is great.
I wonder how many people have this scenario, though:</p>
<p>DS has his last exam on 5/15 ending at 5pm. Has to be out of the dorm 5/16 by noon. Because he’s in Engineering, he’s basically consumed with studying/finishing projects until the tippy end. I don’t picture him triaging his stuff, organizing for move-out etc., ahead of time AT ALL. He’s a junior this year, though. Maybe when they’re seniors they have more free time at the end? If not…</p>
<p>We found out on a Harvey Mudd tour that when departments get new computers, they put the old ones outside and let the students cannibalize them. Students told us about all the hardware they got for free and were able to convert to other uses. </p>
<p>They also have a tradition of keeping old sofas around campus. Some are in rooms, some are outside, some are used to build a replica of Stonehenge (Sofahenge).</p>
<p>I think passing used stuff on is a great idea. I furnished my first apartment that way — paid $125 to buy a houseful of furniture from someone who didn’t want to rent a U-Haul to take it from Georgia back to Texas.</p>