As the year comes to a close, you might be wondering how on earth you got all your belongings into your room and why you own so much stuff (or maybe that’s just us). Don’t worry, we get it! 

The average college student produces 640 pounds of trash each year, and almost all of it comes from moving out. Moving out comes with transportation issues, storage costs, and time you can’t afford to waste amidst final exams and projects. Sometimes, this means being unable to properly dispose of your belongings or throwing things out because they have nowhere else to go. 

That’s why we are introducing the Student Senate’s first annual “Move-Out Waste Diversion” Initiative, which will give your unwanted belongings a new home. Simply place items that have served their purpose and are still in good condition in our donation bins located across campus, and we will work with local organizations to give your items a new life.

We will accept new or gently used clothing, footwear, furniture, decor, bedding, non-perishable and unopened food, books, electronics, and some appliances. We know that time is tight during your final stretch of the semester: classes are ending, final exams are pressing, friends are going back home for the summer, and you still have to find the time to pack everything before moving out. 

Luckily, all you have to do is donate your used items, and student volunteers will sort the donations and ensure they reach their destination.

With that in mind, the Move-Out Waste donation period is 3 weeks long and follows a category-based schedule. Week 1, from April 27th – May 3rd, is all about collecting electronics (new or old) and small furniture items like shoe racks and desk lamps. Week 2, from May 4th to May 10th, will focus on clothing and toiletries. During the final week, May 11th – 15th, you can donate anything you have that fits our collection guidelines.

What happens to your donations?

The Senate Move-Out Waste committee has partnered with the Office of Sustainability, Residence Life, Residence Hall Association, EcoHighlanders, and Highlander H.O.U.S.E. to support our collection and sorting efforts. Once your donations reach our bins, our volunteers will sort them and send them to our external partners, including: “Walk a Mile N’ Our Shoes,” a local organization that gives back clothing and small toiletries to the community and those in need; “Habitat for Humanity,” an organization that resells furniture and home goods to raise funds to build homes; “Grad Bag,” an organization that recycles gently-used items for first-generation college students; and “Green Chip,” a green e-waste recycling company. 

As we approach the end of the year, please take a moment to consider what you have in your dorm and give usable, unwanted items new homes instead of tossing them in the trash. Every item diverted from the landfill will go to organizations that provide resources to those in need. 

About Us:

M.O.W. is the culmination of the dedication and hard work of everyone in our committee. We began meeting this January for an hour every Saturday and started as a small committee of only 8 people, primarily first-year students. Now, M.O.W. is a 12-person committee featuring a variety of majors and age groups. It was very hard at first, as it took a lot of persistence and faith to reach out to external organizations, work with administrators, and figure out logistics. But, through it all we are incredibly proud of everything we’ve accomplished as a group, and a fun fact about M.O.W. that makes our initiative different from other universities is that we are entirely student-run and led! It’s really exciting to see all our hard work come to fruition and seeing all the donations that will go to someone who needs it makes it all worth it.

Here’s the committee:

Cassandra Cross – Hi everyone, I’m a first-year FinTech major, and I am the chair of the Move-Out Waste Committee. I work in the game room, I’m a first-year representative in the Student Senate, and I will be the Vice President of Student Affairs next year!

Abhinav Kokkula – Hi everyone! I am a second-year Computational Mathematics major, and I am the M.O.W. committee’s co-chair. Outside of the committee, I also work with NJIT’s Office of Sustainability!

Jaime Huang – Heyo!! I’m co-Secretary and logo designer for M.O.W. Aside from the committee I’m a first-year Business major, events coordinator for the CUSA, and a First-Year Representative in the Student Senate. For next year, I will be the Director of Student Organizations!

Andrew Shapiro – Hi! My name is Andrew Shapiro and I’m a first year Computer Science Student! I’m currently a First Year Representative for the Student Senate, going to be YWCC Rep next year, and I’m also the secretary of the committee.

Katelyn Fenton – Hello, I am a first-year Biochemistry student and one of M.O.W.’s outreach coordinators! 

Keya Jejurikar – Hello! My name is Keya and I am a first-year Chemical Engineering major and one of M.O.W.’s outreach coordinators!

Uma Wadawadigi – Hi! I’m a first-year Biology major and I’m looking forward to helping M.O.W. grow over my time here at NJIT!

Taneil Hinds

Ron Tidhar 

Oceanna George

Shreya Dutt

Hong Thanh Vy

Special thanks to VPSA Nandini Patel, DEI Officer Natalia Peña, and the 2026 Student Affairs Committee for all your help with planning.

Sources:

https://www.planetaid.org/blog/curbing-the-college-waste-problem 

College Move-Out Waste: 15 Campuses Ranked [2026 Data] | Dropcurb 

How Much Plastic Waste Does The Average College Student Produce

https://antipollutionplan.com/how-much-plastic-waste-does-the-average-college.html 

Moving Out of Campus: Sustainable Ways to Reduce Waste by Universities | The University Network

https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/the-scene/college-swap-shops/3982104/ 

From dorm to dumpster: Moving out sustainably – The Mass Media

College students furious over peers’ wasteful end-of-year rituals