As anyone who has moved knows, you often still have a pile of stuff even after you’ve unpacked: moving boxes, newspaper, Styrofoam, paper instructions and plastic wrap.

Moving into a college room is no different. It generates a lot of potential waste.

That’s why Vanderbilt University has made some changes this year to improve the environmental impact of Move-In, the weekend when the majority of undergraduate students move into their residence halls. Move-In is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22.

“Move-In affects thousands of students and their parents and generates enormous amounts of waste,” said Andrea George, director of Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office. “It made sense to look at ways to reduce the environmental impact as part of our ongoing effort to continually improve our environmental stewardship.”

In past years, more than 20,000 bottles of water have been handed out to students and their families during Move-In. This year, 12 water cooler filling stations will be set up at strategic points around the residence halls in an effort to reduce waste. Each first-year student will receive a reusable water bottle that is made in the U.S. of BPA-free plastic that can be filled from the coolers.

“More than 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in U.S. landfills each year,” said Jennifer Hackett, Vanderbilt’s campus recycling coordinator. “We are not only diverting bottles from the landfill and eliminating this waste stream here at Vanderbilt, but the use of these coolers costs 30 percent less. Those funds can then be reallocated to better serve students elsewhere.”
                                                    
Styrofoam recycling will also be offered for the first time this year. Vanderbilt is partnering with Rutherford County electronics recycler SIMS and will rent Ryder trucks to get it to their facilities. SIMS, who also recycles Vanderbilt’s unwanted computers, has a densifier that compacts molded Styrofoam, making it recyclable.

“We’re very excited to be working with SIMS on this as they are a great partner,” said Hackett. “A significant amount of Styrofoam is generated at Move-In as students unpack electronics and small appliances like microwaves and refrigerators for their rooms.”

In addition, all the materials in the housing assignment packet given to first-year students were printed on paper with recycled content. (Ongoing recycling for paper, plastic, cardboard and aluminum cans is already provided in each residence hall).

“The Office of Housing and Residential Education should be commended for initiating and working hard to implement greener practices this year,” said George.  “These are important steps from which we will learn and further expand these efforts in years to come.”

Contact:   SustainVU, sustainvu@vanderbilt.edu