Forty-five bags of clothing, 23 chairs and 13 couches found new homes thanks to University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Spring Move Out, which allowed students to donate items in good condition to Hope Gospel Mission of Eau Claire.
The end-of-semester event was held for the first time in four years. The collection site was a parking lot near the Sports and Fitness Center.
“It’s definitely more than we have collected in the past,” said UW-Stout Sustainability Coordinator Sarah Rykal. “I think students are just more aware about recycling and reusing.”
Also donated to Hope Gospel Mission were 14 appliances and 10 tables.
Items not suitable for donation were properly disposed of to prevent them from being left on boulevards or outside rental homes or apartments. About 28 couches and futons, 20 mattresses or box springs, 31 chairs, six tables and four bookcases were taken to the landfill. Metal items that could be recycled were sent to Dunn County Solid Waste, Rykal said.
The Stout Student Association paid to have electronics recycled.
The Sustainability Office partnered with Hope Gospel Mission, Dunn County Solid Waste, the City of Menomonie, the UW-Stout Sustainability Steering Committee and the student association to hold the event.
City of Menomonie Public Works Director Randy Eide said it was a great partnership with the university.
“This program is a positive thing all the way around,” Eide said. “It’s good for the community and the university. If something is in good shape it gets reused. Items are also disposed of properly.”
Having the program helps keep the city clean and more attractive to visitors at a time when many people are traveling for UW-Stout’s graduation or potential new students are visiting campus, Eide said. Also, the city did not have to spend money enforcing laws that require furniture not to be left out for disposal over 24 hours, Eide added.
UW-Stout is committed to sustainability. The university in September was named to Princeton Review’s “green” colleges list as one of the top 375 Green Colleges. The ranking is based on data from the education services company survey of hundreds of four-year colleges and universities. UW-Stout scored 86 points on a 99-point scale. To learn more about UW-Stout’s sustainability efforts visit Stout Sustainability Office.
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Photos
During Spring Move Out, UW-Stout students donated chairs, couches and clothing to Hope Gospel Mission in Eau Claire.
Sarah Rykal