As students finish the academic year, some leaving for good, they face the challenge of moving out all of their belongings from their living spaces. Oftentimes, students don’t want to keep everything they’ve collected over the year and opt to get rid of items instead. This year has been particularly busy, with the return of in-person classes and more students living on campus. In fact, it is the first year since the onset of the pandemic that the program was able to be held in its full form. Results did not disappoint, collecting over 30,000 pounds (15 tons) of food, clothing and hygiene items!
The Move-Out Cleanout is hosted by Facilities Team Green in partnership with Residential Life, the UR Food Pantry, Mt. Hope Family Center, Open Door Mission, and Planet Aid. Students were able to donate unwanted clothing, shoes, toiletries, electronics, and nonperishable food, diverting thousands of items from landfills.
Food
Students were able to donate unopened, non-perishable food via the barrels in the main entryway of every residence hall. The Open Door Mission, a local Rochester organization, and the University’s Food Pantry collected 8,738 pounds (4.4 tons) of food, with the Food Pantry receiving nearly 7,000 pounds alone.
Gene Vogler, reservation and Food Pantry coordinator said, “The partnership between the Food Pantry and the Move-Out Cleanout program has once again this year proven to show the generosity of our students and our campus as a whole. The success of this year’s Move-Out Cleanout program will keep much needed food and toiletry items out of the landfill and in the hands of our students who need the items the most.”
Hygiene Items
The Food Pantry and the Mount Hope Family Center, part of the University of Rochester, collected unopened, new toiletries from students, also in the entryways to residence halls. The Mount Hope Family center collected a total of 52 pounds for its Hope Chest to benefit children and families, while the Food Pantry had a three-week total of 67 pounds.
Clothing & Shoes
The eye-catching, bright yellow Planet Aid bins (pictured top of article) were placed near residence halls across campus where students could easily donate their unwanted clothing and shoes. The donated items are then sold in developing countries across the world to benefit different development organizations. Clothing and shoes made up the largest category with a whopping 21,596 pounds (10.8 tons) donated! This is the second-highest clothing and shoes donation ever, with 2019’s total of 28,056 pounds taking the top spot.
Other Items Collected
In addition to the items that are donated, the annual Move-out Cleanout also collects electronics to be recycled by Sunnking. Each year about 1,000 pounds of electronic devices are gathered.
While not directly related to the Move-out Cleanout, the Bloch Alumni and Advancement Center was able to connect with the Rochester International Academy to donate about 1,000 unused University-related shirts. The Academy is for students newly arriving to the United States and provides therapy for refugee students in partnership with the Mount Hope Family Center.
UR Grassroots, the University’s largest environmental action and awareness group, ran its annual Dump & Run collection program on Saturday, April 30 with eight different collection stations. They collected four fridges, two microwaves, four rugs, three shelving items, a clock, and a table. These items will be sold to students at a low cost to support Grassroots in the fall. Each year Grassroots and Facilities Team Green work together to plan and promote their move-out collection programs.
Sustainability Coordinator, Amy Kadrie, would like to thank the numerous organizations that made Move-Out Cleanout possible this year and the students who generously donated their items. “Together we’ve helped keep tens of thousands of pounds of items out of the landfill and helped out people within the University, in the Rochester community, and abroad.”
Written by Sarah Woodams, ‘24 (T5)