Eckerd College, FL Zero Waste Campaign 2008

Type: Program

Status: Launched in 2008

Source File: http://www.eckerd.edu/green/waste/zerowaste.php

Description:

Zero Waste: Reuse the Refuse
This year Eckerd College embarked on the first official Zero Waste Campaign at our institution. During student move-out, large amounts of waste end up in the landfill. This is not a phenomenon specific to Eckerd but one that occurs at institutions of higher education across the nation. This year the office of Service-Learning worked to bring reusable items to various non-profits for donation.

To achieve this goal we partnered with Better World Books, Haslam’s bookstore, Goodwill, the Saint Pete Free Clinic, the Louise Graham Regeneration Center, and the Ronald McDonald House. We filled the large Goodwill truck four times with clothes, furniture, and electronics. All of the books we collected were donated to Better World Books or Haslam’s bookstore. In total, this came to 60 boxes of books and 30 boxes of unopened food and usable toiletries that were donated to the Saint Pete Free Clinic. During the duration of the week recycling was made available to residents moving out. All paper items were donated to the Louise Graham Regeneration Center and the Ronald McDonald House.

The mission of this campaign was to support local organizations while minimizing our overall environmental footprint. Both of these goals were accomplished successfully. Next year we hope to continue, expand, and improve our efforts to minimize end of the year waste. Remember to always reduce, reuse, and recycle!