Goodwill collected 5.4 tons of donations from UChicago students in May
By Maureen McMahon
The last week of May at the University of Chicago was marked by a flurry of preparations for move out and graduation. Amidst all the activity, nearly 4,400 students in residential housing galvanized a high volume and high impact donation effort that diverted 5.4 tons of usable items to Goodwill.
Dorms and apartments come furnished, but students accumulate plenty of clothes, furnishings, and books that will not be making the journey home. In the spirit of sustainability, Housing & Residence Life staff placed 35 Goodwill donation bins throughout the floors for students eager to rehome their purchases.
During move out week, semi-trailers arrived four times to the residence halls from the Goodwill Operations Center in Milwaukee to collect the overflowing bins for distribution.
“We added signage throughout the residence halls to strengthen the campaign this year, and it was a huge success,” said Daniel Barker, the director of operations for Housing & Residence Life. “Placing the bins in multi-use community spaces like music rooms and lounges worked well.”
“This would not be successful without the Buildings Operations staff. It’s a big team effort. Next year we hope to add a donation partner that accepts bedding, like an animal shelter or non-profit for refugees, because students are eager to donate sheets,” he said.
Housing & Residence Life sponsors the effort because it fosters social and environmental stewardship, as well as relieves pressure on custodial labor and waste hauling costs during one of the busiest weeks on campus.
Providing an onsite reuse option also engages with the sustainability interests of the many students Barker says contacted him throughout the year to advocate for the return of the effort. “Many student groups asked to confirm it was happening, and it was gratifying to see so much involvement and recognition of these donations,” he said.
“The students enjoy it, and we will continue this next year. Goodwill makes it seamless, and they sent a note of appreciation for the donations along with the metrics for the weight of the bins.”
In all, 10,790 pounds of items were donated this year, which is up 2,000 pounds from last year. The Office of Sustainability recorded this impact on the campus online reuse marketplace, UChicago Rheaply, where anyone with UChicago or UChicago Medicine credentials can post items for reuse and view the all-time metrics for campus reuse. The total weight of reuse items is now 81,800 pounds thanks to the students.
As of June 1, the marketplace expanded to a network of vetted Chicago non-profit organizations that can now claim postings. While postings were often diverted to non-profits before, transactions had to be handled off the platform and were not reflected in the metrics for campus reuse. Now it is easier for community partners to browse and posters to find a home for their goods.
“It’s an exciting step to add community donations partners to reuse practices at the University,” said Sara Popenhagen, the campus sustainability manager.
“Before, the diversion impact of the move out donation effort was not accounted for in official University reporting. Now, with this community partner option on UChicago Rheaply, student donations to Goodwill are eligible to count towards metrics for diversion, value recaptured, and carbon emissions avoided,” she said. “Their participation strengthens the case for these programs that promote sustainability.”
If you are a UChicago Rheaply user who is posting reuse items for free on the platform, specify “Share with > Donation Partners” in the listing creation form to show your items to community non-profits.