What to do with 10,000 kilograms of stuff

If you have ever wondered how a place like Walmart or Target stays in business the answer is simple... they sell a mountain of stuff. That stuff has a beginning and an ending and what I am interested in is extending the amount of time in between.

Three times a year at uOttawa we do something called the Dump & Run. It is a very simple program to collect the stuff that students leave behind when they move out of residences. Simple and easy... except that it is actually a lot of work.

The Office of Campus Sustainability recruits about 30 volunteer who help us collect stuff from residence rooms, donation tables, kitchens, lounges.... everywhere basically. All the collected items get cleaned, sorted, and donated to either the Free Store or to local charities in need. And thus, we can keep things out of landfills and reduce the amount of stuff that needs to be manufactured.

As I mentioned, we have three events a year, one after each semester. But by far our largest Dump & Run happens at the end of the spring semester just before the summer. We get enough stuff to fill a couple of rooms with clothing, appliances, and small pieces of furniture.

This year we have a great group of volunteers. We are always looking for more so if you are interested send us an email. We thought maybe we should give everyone a taste of what's going on first so take a look at the video and pictures below.

~ jON - campus sustainability manager