Move-out/Move-in
Dumpsters overflow and discarded furniture piles up at curbs on July 31 each year in Austin, Texas, when rental leases end and students move out of their off-campus apartments. If you live in a university town you may have noticed a similar problem this time of year as the academic year ends.
Move Out ATX, a program run by Austin Resource Recovery in partnership with UTX Office of Sustainability, the Office of the Dean of Students and various community partners (thrift stores and social service organizations), has been soliciting donations during move-out week, in an effort to save discards from the landfill. They have a robust PR campaign to spread the word about donation days. Started in 2018, it was so successful that receiving partners were unable to handle the volume through reuse and too much was still going to the landfill. So they added a free furniture market in 2021, which opens after the donation window closes and has reduced the volume significantly. It seems you can get rid of a lot more if you give it away. According to Megan Kaplon, who runs the program, they are saving 45,000 lbs of material from the landfill each year. And now Austin Resource Recovery has been awarded an EPA grant to purchase a warehouse where they will be able to sell what is left over, first to selected social service programs, but ultimately to the general public, they hope.
Furniture at the Move Out ATX free furniture market. Image courtesy Move Out ATX
The challenge is raising student awareness about reuse as an option. Ideally, items discarded at move-out are made available to incoming students at move-in. Universities across the country are working on this, often starting as student-led initiatives. ReDorm is a dorm reuse consulting program founded and run by students at USC. The original student founder, JJ Flores, noticed the overflowing dumpster phenomenon there in 2022, decided to do something about it and founded ReDorm, an online resource for universities starting move-out/move-in programs on their campuses. The ReDorm website features this statistic: “When students move out of their dorms each year they leave behind 70 million tons of perfectly good dorm essentials. The campus response? Send to the landfill or offshore to external partners. This collectively represents $30 million of value that schools are missing out on while the next freshman is at Target and Amazon spending thousands each year for the exact same items.”
Students with their $1 buys at a Trash 2 Treasure event. Image courtesy Office of Sustainability at UT Austin
A complimentary program to Move Out ATX, on the UTX Austin campus, is Trash to Treasure, a student-led initiative through the campus environmental center. Student-run donation drives throughout the year collect clothing, shoes, and wearable accessories in bins located in residence halls. Student volunteers sort donations, and resell them at pop-up Thrift Sales twice a year, where everything goes for $1. The Making Amends program goes a step further, hosting in-person workshops to provide students with materials and knowledge to learn how to mend and upcycle pre-loved clothing.
Is there a Move-out/Move-in program at your campus? We’d love to hear about it!
Heath Massey, Reuse News Editor, based on an interview with Megan Kaplon, Assistant Division Manager, Austin Resource Recovery.
Additional Resources for University Move Out Programs:
If you’re local you can volunteer to help with the SSU move out happening from 5/21 - 5/24.
Move Out Project at Binghamton University created this helpful guide to setting up your own M.O.P.
This webinar from CURC and the Mission Moveout session from the Reuse X Repair Summit have great tips.
The ReDorm website has an incredible resource of move out programs at universities across the country.
Visit our Upcoming Events Page for details, to pre-register, or to volunteer.
On the Upcoming Events page you’ll find a full list of our upcoming Repair Fairs and other community events including details on location, how to pre-register and how to get involved. Click here to sign up to volunteer at an event.
Sat May 30 : San Anselmo Repair Fair : 1pm - 4pm : San Anselmo Town Hall
Sat June 6 : Corte Madera Repair Fair, Book + Clothing Swap : 1pm - 4pm : Corte Madera Community Center
Sat June 14 : Sebastopol Repair Fair + Clothing Swap : 1pm - 4pm : Sebastopol Art Center
Don’t want to watch it alone?
Save the date for a free screening of The Plastic Detox followed by a panel discussion hosted at the Reuse Hub at 5pm on June 27th.
Details and link to register coming soon!
Upcoming Workshops at the Reuse Hub (visit our workshops page for more details)
Miniature Modding Wasteland Cars : Friday May 22nd - 5:00pm
Lamp Repair 101 : Saturday June 6th - 1:00pm
Bike Repair 101: Frame, Cockpit, Tires, and Wheels : Sunday June 7th - 1:00pm
Fabric Scrap Art : Saturday June 20th - 1:00pm
Soldering 101 : Saturday, June 20th - 4:00 PM
Crochet Fabric Scrap Rugs : Saturday June 27th - 1:00pm
Bike Repair 101: Brakes, Drivetrain, & Shifting : Sunday June 28th - 1:00pm
Other Opportunities
May 21-22 : Livestream the Canadian Repair Convention
May 27 : Applications due for the .ORG Impact Awards.
May 28 : Free Donor Communication That Drives Retention Webinar from Givelively
July 1 : Proposals to speak at the Resource Recovery Conference held March 1-3 in National Harbor, MD are due.
Want to design the 2026 Reuse Awareness Campaign? Or know someone who does?
The 2026 Reuse Awareness Campaign will highlight the social benefits of reuse. We’re looking for a creative designer with a unique perspective to design the campaign.
Details and how to apply here.
See our previous campaigns here. Donate to help this campaign reach far and wide here!
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