PLU students turning dorm trash into someone else’s treasure
May 23, 2014, 11:50 AM | Updated: 1:04 pm
As college students head home for the summer, they’re leaving tons of stuff behind in their dorms and apartments. But thanks to a unique partnership with Goodwill, old couches, dressers and other items from Pacific Lutheran University will go to a good cause rather than ending up in the landfill.
“By the time this campaign ends, they will have topped 38,000 pounds of stuff coming out of their dorms,” says George White, spokesman with Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region in Tacoma.
PLU ranks in the top 15 nationally for sustainable campus life among colleges, White says. Last year, the school and its Sustainability Department diverted 62 percent of its waste for reuse or recycling.
PLU is one of only 15 nationwide taking part in “Give and Go! Move Out 2014,” but White says the goal is to get more colleges and universities on board in the future.
“So much can be reused and repurposed,” says Christine Cooley, Sustainability Manager at PLU. “If someone else can reuse the item, we want to make sure they have that opportunity.”
Goodwill and PLU have trucks and stations around campus to accept both large and small items through the next week.
All of the money generated by sales of the donated goods goes to job training and job placement in the region. “And we help about 9,000 people a year, so it’s a win-win,” White says.
While it’s a great haul, there are some things that won’t find their way to Goodwill, like kegs or beer bongs.
