Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia will hold a Dawgs Ditch the Dumpster and Donate event during move-out April 30-May 10 for students to recycle unwanted items instead of throwing them away. This year, the event has been expanded to include approximately 12 donation trucks from Goodwill of North Georgia that will be parked near residence halls across campus.
The event is part of the national initiative Give and Go, a partnership between Keep America Beautiful, Goodwill of North Georgia and the College and University Recycling Coalition to broaden the collection drive during spring move out.
Non-perishable food donations also will be accepted during the event and will be given to the Athens Food Bank.
The University Housing and UGA Hillel’s landfill diversion event has been held on campus since 2006. Over the past three years, more than $75,000 worth of items has been given away to local charities.
“This is a great program that provides an avenue for our students to give back to the community and contribute to our sustainability initiatives,” said Gerard Kowalski, University Housing executive director. “It allows for us to provide a place for furniture, refrigerators and other goods that may have ended up in a dumpster. I am pleased that it relates directly to a core value of University Housing to help with living green and lending a hand.”
For the 2014 spring move out, Dawgs Ditch the Dumpster and Donate organizers expect an increase in donations. In 2013, the Give and Go pilot partnership resulted in a 43-84 percent increase in donations among schools with an existing collection program.
“Having more consistent and visible donation stations set up all over campus will allow students to easily drop off unwanted items during their move-out process and do something great for the community without much effort on their parts,” says Jane Diener, University Housing doctoral intern for sustainability. “We’ve placed the Goodwill donation stations right near the parking lots and dumpsters around campus, making it extremely convenient for students to drop off donations during their move-out process.”
The staff and students at UGA are vested in the long-term success and continued growth of Dawgs Ditch the Dumpster and Donate and its ability to give back to the Athens community, said Jessica Brien, UGA Hillel program director. “We are so excited to partner with Goodwill and Keep America Beautiful this year as these organizations will help Dawgs Ditch expand our reach and help more people.”
Dawgs Ditch the Dumpster and Donate organizers are looking for volunteers to help manage donations. Volunteers may sign up at http://bit.ly/1dPTWo1.
