Move-in, Move-out, and the Sustainability Sale
Move-in and move-out are critical times of the year to think about our waste streams on campus, not only to make sure we are properly recycling materials but to also think about how we can reduce and reuse the items that we bring to campus during move-in. At the end of the year, the Office of Sustainability provides Sust bins where students can place unwanted items for donation and for the Sustainabilty Sale the following August.
Move-in Tips
While packing for campus, double-check your packing list to see if you really need everything you are bringing
After unpacking your room, make sure to break down boxes
With large volumes of waste and recyclable materials, make sure to bring items to recycling rooms (in Pomeroy, Munger, Beebe, and Severance) or to larger totes to avoid overfilling smaller bins in kitchens and common rooms
Make sure you are putting waste in the correct bins
Look for the signs by bins to be certain
Do not throw trash in recycling or compost dumpsters outside the Residence Halls
Move-out FAQs
Fridges
Empty, clean, and unplugged
Place next to bins with a ‘Donate’ label if it is working condition
把一个“破碎的”标签破损的冰箱,这样他们就可以be recycled
Lamps, fans, and other electronics
Works when plugged in and clean
Place inside sust bins
Mirrors, rugs, and hard plastics (bins and drawers)
Not broken and unstained
Place inside sust bins
Miscellaneous dorm items
Clean kitchenware, unused notebooks, binders, folders, staplers etc…
Place inside sust bins
Clothing and shoes
Gently used and unstained
Pairsof shoes only and clothing must be bagged to be accepted by Big Brothers Big Sisters in Natick
Place in bags and in/next to bins
Sustainability bins, also known as sust bins, will usually be orange or yellow. In some spaces they may be black, blue or canvas, but most importantly,they will be labeled. Unlabeled black bins are used for individual students to move out.
Currently these items can’t be donated because they can’t be cleaned for resale or donation, so they must be placed in the trash.
Trash:
Pillows & mattress pads
Broken, stained, or soiled donation items (ex. clothing, bedding)
Food and toiletries
String lights (do not put in recycling!!Tanglers like string lights cause significant damage to recycling facilities)
Dirty or broken kitchenware
Paper and cardboard recycling:
Used notebooks (metal spirals okay), softcover/paperback books
Cardboard/chipboard(boxes broken down) and paper (staples okay)
Commingled recycling:
Empty toiletry bottles that are plastic containers #1-5 or glass containers
Empty metal cans and clean aluminum foil + trays
In general we try to stick to the donate list because these are the items we know will sell but sometimes we miss things! You can emailsustainability@wellesley.eduor DM us on Instagram to ask us about your item. Some good questions to ask yourself include: Can it be cleaned relatively easily? Is it not broken? Would you give it to your roommate? If you answered yes to these questions your item may be a good fit for the sale.