By mid-July, the UST Recycling Team had a chance to sort, digest, transport and recycle move-out items collected from residence halls and other campus locations during the three weeks before and the week following the annual spring student move-out.
This year more than 10,000 pounds of usable goods were picked up in the four-week period and given to local charities.
Tubs were used to help the Recycling Team collect 10,148 pounds of usable goods, including clothes, books, backpacks and household items, including electrical appliances, over a four-week period last spring.
The breakdown of recovered and redirected goods looked like this:
- 2,265 pounds of clothing went to Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul charities in St. Paul
- 1,610 pounds of household items, ranging from dishes to hair dryers, went to Goodwill
- 2,511 pounds of furniture went to Bridging in Roseville, which provides furniture to families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness and poverty
- 3,136 pounds of books were given to Books for Africa for distribution to schools and libraries in Africa
- 626 pounds of food were given to Keystone Community Service (Merriam Park food shelf)
If these items had not been collected, it would have meant more than five tons of items that the university would have had to pay to haul away as municipal waste; instead, not only did these materials get redirected to help others but they also were kept out of local dumps and incinerators.
This collection saved money for St. Thomas and decreased its environmental footprint. So, thanks to all students, staff and faculty who pitched in during the 2013 move-out!
The Recycling Team also gives a special word of thanks to Omicron Delta Kappa and Sister Sharon Howell, who twice a year coordinate the collection of unwanted books during the Bookstore book buy-back in Murray-Herrick Campus Center.
More information about recycling at St. Thomas is available on the Recycling Program website.
