Every spring at Emory, you will see donation kiosks and trucks placed across campus in preparation for our students moving out at the end of the academic year. The “Don’t Dump It, Donate It” program allows students an outlet to a partnership with Residence Life and Housing Operations, Emory Recycles, and the Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI), to donate their unwanted items rather than throw them in dumpsters headed for Georgia landfills. Donations can include furniture, electronics, small household items, clothing, school supplies, books, and non-perishable food. All proceeds from the sale of these items benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta through Emory’s partnership with America’s Thrift.
Justin Bright, Sustainability and Social Justice Fellow with OSI shares, “We are thrilled by the success of this year’s “Don’t Dump It, Donate It” program. Thanks to the incredible efforts of our students, staff, and faculty, we managed to recover 27,041 pounds of materials for donation from the Emory campus and 2,683 pounds from Oxford College.”
Ray Herbert, Director of Housing Operations serves on the Committee for the Environment and has supported the growth of the program which declined during the pandemic. Ray’s vision and commitment to sustainability have been a driving force in the program’s expansion and growth for many years.
Deena Keeler, Director of Auxiliary Services and Emory Recycles states, “The goal of our “Don’t Dump It, Donate It” program is to make recycling, composting, and donating easier for thousands of student residents as they leave campus for the summer break. Through this initiative, students are contributing to Emory’s zero landfill waste diversion goal while also supporting the important work conducted at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The program marks a historical milestone this year as “Don’t Dump It, Donate It” has been a part of the student move out experience for more than twenty years.”
All campus stakeholders of the program appreciate the collaborative efforts of our Emory community and their continued commitment to a zero-landfill future at Emory.