Recyclers find new uses for items students abandon

From hula-hoops to microwaves, from ironing boards to fat-free Caesar dressing and Gerber's strained green beans—these are only some of the items left behind when U-M students vacated the Ann Arbor campus in April.

As in years past, U-M's award-winning recycling program was put into high gear during this move-out session, and the 25,011 pounds of goods collected from campus residence halls found new homes and new uses.

"This was a 37 percent increase over last year's collection," says Sarah Archer, coordinator of Waste Management and Recycling Services for Grounds &Waste Management Services.

Archer's team sorted through the collected goods, separating clothing (10,301 pounds), shoes (2,162 pounds), bedding (1,751 pounds) household goods (6,311 pounds) and food/toiletries (4,486 pounds) for distribution to various local and regional community agencies and recycling operations.

Archer's team makes sure students who don't want to or can't take the goods home, and who don't want to store the items until the start of the fall term, are made fully aware that what they leave behind will be recycled or reused.

This year, bedding went to Caring Quilts to fashion bedrolls for homeless people and warming stations. Household goods and furniture went to Fairy Godparents, serving as a distribution center for agencies in Washtenaw County. A variety of items, including clothing, shoes and books, went to Purple Heart. Crutches were returned to University Health Service, and all pieces of Residential Dining Services dishware were returned. All books identified as coming from University Libraries were returned there.

"This was a record-breaking year," Archer says. She notes that there were some unusual items among the collections. "We had more real hair wigs and hair pieces this year," she says. "But this is the first time we've had a fake ficus tree and bowling shoes, but no bowling balls."

Standing out among the goods separated and tied into plastic bags for pick-up by the participating agencies were a grinning plastic jack-o-lantern and one large rubber duckie.

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