Dumpster Diving for Charity

Published: June 2, 2008 | 7097th good news item since 2003

Members of the Otterbein College in Westerville will station themselves by dumpsters on campus to collect usable furniture and other household items that can be sent to charitable organizations during the student move-out from 10 a.m.to 6 p.m.on June 9-11, 2008. Michelle Acker, organizer and psychology professor at Otterbein says, “As many of you have observed, when students move out of the dorms, they throw away many usable things. This throwing away is not usually planned; rather it is a function of last-minute ‘Can’t-fit-in-the-car-itis.’

“Over the past 5 years, my faculty comrades and I have fished out of the dumpster 5 vacuum cleaners, 3 working refrigerators, a large cooler, 3 full-length mirrors, several lamps, comforters and towels in almost new condition, a dartboard, many half-filled bottles of laundry detergent, area rugs, sealed food, office supplies, many clothes hangers and plastic totes, an Easy-Bake oven in the box and much, much more. All of these things could be kept out of the landfill and used to help other people.”

They will have at least 22 faculty members stationed near the dumpsters on campus on their move-out days. This will help keep usable items from even going in the dumpsters in the first place. Michelle says that local charitable organizations will be there each evening to pick up the usable goods.

Published in Charity
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