Student Moveout Recycling

Don't throw it out. Recycle it!

During May moveout days, UNH students living on campus can donate clothing, unopened and non-perishable food, furniture, electronics and other resellable items through two student-run programs: UNH RENU and Trash-2-Treasure.

UNH RENU (Recycle Everything New/Used)

To get involved, email unhrenu@gmail.com.  

Begun in 2002, UNH-RENU (Recycle Everything New/Used) is a volunteered based initiative that collects unwanted items when students move out at the end of the year. Indira "Dee" Henley, a student in the Community Service program at the Thompson School, began UNH-RENU. Since Indira graduated, the program has been maintained by staff and student volunteers.

  • 2009: RENU collected a total of 2,220 lbs of clothes and shoes for Planet Aid.  RENU also donated 20 boxes of food of a variety of types with an average weight of 25 pounds per box and a total of 500 pounds to Cornucopia in Durham. Kitchen items were also donated to the Good Will in Dover. Learn more...
  • 2008: 245 bags of clothing (about 5,000 pounds) and 4,800 pounds of food were collected and donated to local charities
  • 2007: About 200 - 300 bags of clothing and more than 3,000 pounds of unopened food. Learn more...
  • 2006: About 200 - 300 bags of clothing and more than 3,000 pounds of unopened food.

UNH-RENU is a collaboration of:

 

UNH Trash-2-Treasure

To volunteer, fill out the UNH T2T Volunteer Sign Up Sheet.  For more information, email the T2T volunteer coordinator.

In an effort to reduce UNH’s impact on landfills, the UNH Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) initiated Trash 2 Treasure (T2T) in 2011 to collect the non-clothing and food items students throw away each year, storing it all over the summer, and  holding a large 3-day yard sale during move-in weekend to sell items back to students.

Members of SEAC have been working on developing this program since May of 2010. They spent a lot of time early on getting permission to do the program from numerous departments on campus, figuring out what our options were for what we could and could not do, and doing the research to develop a basic proposed budget and outline for our program. The applied for a number of grant programs and in December, 2010 we were awarded with a grant from the Parents Association for $4000. Since that point they have been organizingdrop off locations, volunteers, advertising and outreach, and other fundraising initiatives.

2011 Program

On May 6, 2011, the drop-off locations will be open on campus. There will be 10 drop off locations on campus, and we are working on getting more drop-off locations off campus as well. For more information on drop-off locations and what you can donate, click the links above that say “drop – off locations” and “what you can donate”.

SEAC will be renting a large 26-foot truck to go around on a number of days to pick items up from the drop-off locations as well as to scour the dumpster areas around dormitories and apartments for discarded items. AThey will have a specific schedule of times and dates for when we will be using this truck, and will also be looking for people to drive around and collect items in their own trucks during days when we won’t be using the large truck.

 

Storing the Stuff over the Summer

All food collected will be donated to food shelters in the area.  For everything else, SEAC has 4 large storage locations on campus and off.

During the process of storing items we will be looking for volunteers to help us move and sort furniture, catalogue what we have and figure out a pricing system. We will also be looking for people who are interested in cleaning or restoring furniture or fixing broken electronics.

 

The Yard Sale

The yard sale will take place during move-in weekend, August 26, 27, and 28 2011, and will be held under a large 40x60 foot canopy tent set up on the Fishbowl Lawn across the street from Thompson Hall on Main Street. SEAC will be setting up the yard sale all day on Thursday August 25th, and need to be finished setting it up by 7am Friday morning.

This will be a NO VEHICLES event. No parking will be available! We ask that if you are interested in coming to the yard sale that you walk or bike there.

The yard sales hours haven’t been determined yet but it will last for all three days. Members of SEAC will be sleeping outside underneath the tent at night to keep an eye on our merchandise during the yard sale. They will be in great need of volunteers to help us run the yard sale as well!

 

Delivery Service

If you live on campus or in the surrounding communities, SEAC will be organizing a delivery service for purchased items. Due to the no vehicles policy, any item that you cannot carry back to your dorm or apartment with you; SEAC will deliver to you after 5pm each day. Please volunteer to help SEAC make this happen!

 

Leftovers

All leftover items will be donated to local charities and thrift shops.