As the old adage goes: “Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.”
When Ohio University students leave campus at the end of the semester, they often leave piles of stuff that could potentially end up in the dumpsters.
But Ohio University and several non-profit organizations have found a way to turn that trash into someone’s treasure.
As the university comes to a close in early May, Restore Coordinator Molly Blair said several non-profit groups will be around town to collect reusable items that students no longer need. Other groups involved in collecting reusable items include New To You, Goodwill, Re-Use Industries and Southeast Ohio Foodbank.
“Students really need to know that donating is so much better than putting all this stuff into the landfill.” Blair said. “If we make $100, we keep 130 pounds out of the landfill. That’s just fabulous.”
These groups are looking to collect electronic appliances, bed frames, kitchenware, unopened food and other reusable items.
Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl said flyers detailing the location and time of donation sites will be distributed around the city. The concept of collecting reusable items was meant to conserve resources from filling the landfill while giving to those in need, he added.
“In many cases we are a very disposable society,” Wiehl said. “There’s so much stuff that gets thrown away the idea is not to throw it out and put in the landfill, but reuse it, recycle it, and if possibly, donate it to various organizations.”
The University Recycling and Refuse Department will also be setting up donations sites on-campus for students to drop off reusable items. These items include appliances, carpets, books, unopened food and mattresses.
The West Green area will be among the most congested, as it will have traffic from both graduation parking and traffic, according to newsletter from Executive Director of Residential Housing Peter Trentacoste.
Ohio University Police Chief Andrew Powers said there is a lot of traffic and people on campus during the move out week.
“It is busy in different ways from the ways we are busy at other times of the year. We do the best we can, we respond where we are needed when there is a problem,” Powers said. “It’s almost impossible to plan for it, we just know we have to be prepared, we have to be flexible and we have to be responsive.”
jl951613@ohiou.edu
