Many University of Florida students throw away the items they don’t need when moving out of dorms or apartments each year, creating what some local residents see as a unique opportunity.
One person’s trash is another’s treasure, said Dianne Harper, a Gainesville resident and self-proclaimed “scavenger.” Harper, who said scavenging is the story of her life, believes the excessive waste produced during the move-out season has its benefits.
“When my son was growing up, we always lived in apartment complexes and we lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, so there was a lot of students like here,” Harper said. “We got all of our furniture and everything when it was move-out day.”
She still remembers coming upon one item.
“My best find was a couch, really. I still love this couch so much, and I don’t have it anymore, and I wish I did, but it was the best couch ever,” Harper said. “It was so amazing; It was just this gorgeous old antique couch.”
Harper has been scavenging herself since the 1990s, but she said it was an activity she grew up doing and benefiting from.
“I grew up in a pretty poor family, and I think my dad always did that, and I didn’t even know that’s what it was at the time, so it’s always been a part of our life,” Harper said. “Then, when I was a young college student and becoming an adult and a single mom, it was like thrift stores and dumpsters and all the things.”
Harper is not the only one who benefits from discarded items after college move-out. A local nonprofit, the Repurpose Project, sees an increase in donations during the move-out season, said Nevaeh Peña, a Repurpose Project employee and third-year student at UF.
“Our number one mission is to divert usable items from the landfill,” Peña said. “But we also hope to inspire creativity in the community and make sure people in the community get what they need.”
Ernest Hull, the commanding officer of the Salvation Army in Gainesville, said the organization also sees a rise in donations when students move out.
“If they want to donate, they can contact the Salvation Army and we can arrange for pickup of the items,” Hull said. “We need at least a little leeway before we can pick items up, or if they have smaller items, they can bring them right to our thrift store.”
Hull said the majority of donations they see are furniture.
“We see quite a bit of furniture,” Hull said. “They probably purchase from us anyways, so they just re-donate it. Much of the household items generally go with them, but we see some of that as well, like pots and pans, during that time.”
Peña mentioned that, as a UF student, she sees the excess waste produced around campus during move-out.
“You definitely can see it in the community; I live in Midtown, and you’ll just see, they all pull out those portable dumpsters, and they’re just overflowing with stuff,” Peña said. “I see perfectly usable furniture and appliances and all that good stuff going to the landfill, so it definitely is a problem that we are aware of here and would love to find a way to help with that.”
Hannah Farrell, the director of marketing and strategic communications for UF’s Division of Student Life, said during the moving process, there are often many items students don’t want to take with them.
Her division offersa web page to help answer any questions students or parents might have.
UF provides donation boxes in the area offices of UF housing and collects donations for UF Field and Fork Pantry, Goodwill, Grace Marketplace, Habitat for Humanity, Haven Hospice and Salvation Army, according to the page.
There are many other alternatives to throwing out unneeded items, Peña said.
“If you’re trying to get rid of something and you’re going to throw it away, you might as well post it on Facebook,” Peña said. “I mean here we obviously do emphasize repurposing, so if it’s something that maybe you can’t use for its original use, maybe you could find a different use for it, or somebody you know may have a different use for it that you might not even be thinking of.”
Harper believes that the cycle of throwing out things shouldn’t be viewed only negatively. It is part of the recycling culture, she said.
“Moving is hard, and there’s always all this stuff, and it takes a lot of work and effort to sell it or get it to Goodwill or have someone pick it up,” Harper said. “There’s this culture of knowing that if I just put it out there, people will come and take it, so it’s hard for me to be judgmental about it.”