It's the most wonderful time of the year...the Dump and Run!!

One of the most important days for the Office of Campus Sustainability is the Dump and Run. As students move out of residence and summer arrives, many simply leave what they no longer wish to keep in their old rooms. Some leave them in the temporary donation bins left by our office, but most don’t know what happens to the items left behind. This event saves thousands of discarded items from being thrown out and instead, breathes new life into them by giving them the opportunity to be reused.

The huge amount of wasted items saved is then sent to the Free Store where students and members of the community can take these second-hand items that are often still perfectly good and give them a new home.

Some of the most common items found in the Dump and Run and in the Free Store can be very useful to students, especially those living in residence. These include kitchen appliances like pots, plates, utensils, and wooden spoons, home appliances (we’ve even gotten a vacuum and a great looking computer chair), books, from textbooks to novels, and clothes of all kinds.

Overview of the Day

My first time experiencing the Dump and Run made me see that this event is only possible with our volunteers as we would have been overwhelmed with the number of items saved if not for their help and resilience in the face of the awful weather on the day of. We started the morning of the Dump and Run by separating into several group and visiting the residences. There, we emptied the donation bins which we then brought to the basement of the Leblanc building to be separated into the correct piles. Volunteers also went to the free store where we picked up the giant stack of donations gained throughout the year. These also went to the Leblanc basement to be separated and categorized.

In the afternoon, once the residents have moved out completely, we visited the rooms in the residence to see what was left behind and collected them. Sometimes there were fans left behind under the bed or a bathroom mat that still looked perfectly good. Some of the most strange sights I've ever seen were in visiting the common kitchens of the residences. I even found a candle at the back of a freezer! I can't help wondering what the story was there. 

The Weirdest Finds of the Day

The first being condoms. It's surprising how common it is to find them there. Perhaps, some overestimated how many they would need this year.

The second was this giant Olaf decoration that lights up. I'm not judging how you choose to decorate for festivities, but doesn't it take up a lot of room? Plus, I'm pretty sure this is a decoration for the outside of your home.  

Underwear is a common thing to find in the donation piles. Perhaps, some people simply collect all the clothes they no longer want and forget to separate those that can be reused from those that can't. Just a reminder, while we reuse bras as these are expensive pieces of clothing that can be cleaned well, underwear is a bit unhygienic to reuse so it will be discarded. 

Wigs were another odd sight within the pile of items in Leblanc. The longer I think on it though, the more I think it was part of a Halloween costume or for a part in a play.

Another surprise would be the pile of naked Barbie dolls and Legos, but they looked in good condition so if anyone wants a gift for a niece or nephew, then just head over to the free store.

Finally, perhaps the most surprising sight would be the K-pop albums and merch. TXT, Treasure, these are great stuff! Some of the best albums are K-pop ones as they put so much effort into their albums, they add photo albums, posters, etc. The gods of K-pop aka BTS would frown upon the sight of these great albums just left behind.

Anyways, just a reminder that volunteers get first pick at the items found on the dump and run so if you’re looking for something, some new kitchen appliance for residence, take the time to volunteer for the dump and run! It’s a fun way to give back to the community and get some exercise! 

Have any items you don't use anymore? Donate them to the Free Store! The donation bin in the CRX building is accessible year round. 

~ melanie plante - office of campus sustainability co-op student