Move Out, Don’t Throw Out

Move out is quickly approaching, which means it’s time to start planning. Students are encouraged to donate or recycle unwanted books, furniture, clothing, and other materials when they move out this spring. Doing so will benefit the local community and allow them to serve as stewards of our environment  by reducing waste.

Below is a complete description of all donation and reuse stations that make it easy to divert waste from the landfill.

Deacs Donate 

• What? Reusable house wares, clothing, small appliances, school supplies, furniture, and unopened canned/dried food
• When? April 28 – May 5
• How? Smaller items should be placed in blue Goodwill donation boxes located in the lobby of every residence hall. Bulky items (futons, shelving units, bookshelves, rugs, etc.) must be placed next to the “Deacs Donate” sign  in front of each residence hall. Items for Deacs Donate are collected by the Resident Student Association, in collaboration with Goodwill.
• Why? In 2016, Residence Life & Housing’s Deacs Donate program helped students put over 5 tons of clothing and other essentials into the hands of those in need in the Winston-Salem community.
• Questions? Contact Elizabeth Leslie (leslieea@wfu.edu) or your RSA advisor. Residents of the Polo Road and Rosedale Circle RL&H Theme Houses should contact their RAs for information on the location of the donation bins in their area.

Recycling Tote Collection

• What? Small green recycling totes with white handles
• When? April 28 – May 5
• How? If you have a personal green recycling tote and do not wish to keep it, place it next to the green recycling bin signs outside you residence hall.
• Why? Your tote is yours to keep for all four years. If you no longer want it, it will be collected, cleaned, and redistributed to a first-year student next year. Note: you will not receive a replacement tote next year if you choose to give it back.

To-Go Container Collection

• What? Green to-go containers from Deacon Dining.
• When? April 28 – May 5
• How? Return any green reusable to-go containers to the Fresh Food Company to receive your $5 deposit back. If you do not wish to receive your deposit back, please leave your to-go container next to the green recycling bin sign outside your residence hall. For the week of finals, bio-compostable disposable to-go containers will be used in all dining halls.

Donate Textbooks to Better World Books

• What? Textbooks
• When? April 28 – May 5
• How? All books can be deposited in collection boxes located conveniently near the registers in the bookstore textbook department– you don’t even have to wait in line.
• Why? Students always seem to end up with textbooks that the bookstore just cannot buy back at the end of the semester. Better World Books collects and resells these volumes to fund literacy initiatives at home and abroad. Last year, over 1 ton of books were recovered and donated to partner programs around the world.

Recycle Your Notes

• What? Class notes and all recyclable paper
• When? April 28 – May 5
• How? Recycle loose-leaf notes, class handouts, fliers and other paper and small pieces of cardboard by depositing them in the blue paper recycling bags given to all residents by their RAs. Full bags can be placed next to the blue paper recycling signs outside residence halls.

Donate Your Bike to the Re-Cycle Fleet

• What? Is your bike looking for a new home? Donate it to Wake Forest’s Re-Cycle Bike Share Program. Donated bikes will be reconditioned and added to the bike share program to increase the number of bikes available to other students.
• When? April 28 – May 5
• How? Contact Lee Collette (colletls@wfu.edu/336-758-6046) to schedule a drop-off time at Outdoor Pursuits.

These move-out waste reduction initiatives are sponsored by Residence Life & Housing, Goodwill, Facilities & Campus Services, and the Office of Sustainability.