College students accumulate a lot of stuff over the year, and residences often find themselves overwhelmed with waste on move-out day. This is not only inconvenient, but unsustainable as well. Resist the urge to abandon it in your room or throw it all in the dumpster, instead choose a sustainable option!
How to get rid of junk from your dorm room responsibly
1. Host a sale
Make a few extra bucks by selling your stuff! Host a yard/garage sale if you can get access to community space. Make an event out of it: recruit a few friends to sell their stuff too, and set up music and refreshments. Consider donating the proceeds to charity if you want to feel especially good when you move out.
2. Organize a central drop-off point and collaborate on bulk junk removal/recycling
Work with dorm staff to coordinate a central drop-off point for everyone’s ‘to go’ stuff—it’ll help keep the dumpsters clean and will discourage dumping in other areas, like rooms and hallways. Find a communal room where residents can drop off their unwanted items. Try to section off areas and label ‘electronics’, ‘furniture’, ‘kitchenware’ to encourage organization.
Companies like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? can pick up ‘junk’ items (the service gets cheaper the more we fill the truck) and you could set up recycling bins to organize paper, cans, glass, and plastic. If this is more work than you’re willing to take on, offer the idea to your residence manager!
3. Donate to a charity or thrift store
Find out which charities/thrift stores accept donations, and check out their ‘wish lists’ to see what they’re looking for. Make sure the items are in good enough condition to donate (ask the charity just to be sure).
Hopefully these tips will help you reduce the waste during your move-out and send you home for the summer without all the clutter!
