Every year during move-out, ASU students find that they have accumulated more stuff than they can deal with. Stuff they don’t want anymore. Stuff they don’t have space for. Stuff that doesn’t belong in the landfill.
Ditch the Dumpster does something good with all that stuff – reusing everything that can be reused, and repurposing or recycling the rest – all for the benefit of local children and families.
Donate small items. Look for Swift donation bins.
Drop off large items. Look for collection areas in your hall.
Recycle. Look for blue at ASU.
Our Mission
Our mission is to produce meaningful change: diverting waste from the landfill, supporting local non-profit organizations, and educating the ASU community about waste, recycling, and meeting social needs. Our vision is to be a university that produces zero-waste, that is socially embedded through community partnerships, and whose graduates genuinely desire to transform society.
Ditch the Dumpster
Begins Earth Day, April 22 and runs through May 10th
Ditch the Dumpster is an annual tradition at Arizona State University. The year-end donation and recycling drive collects thousands of pounds of reusable and recyclable items from students as they move out of ASU residence halls. All collected items get used in some way or another. Reusable items are donated to charity organizations that benefit children and families locally. Items that cannot be reused are repurposed or recycled. Ditch the Dumpster is a university-wide initiative, in partnership with University Housing, the Global Institute of Sustainability, Grounds Services, Recycling Services, Campus Student Sustainability Initiatives, and Swift Charities for Children.
How You Can Donate
Donate most of your unwanted goods in any Swift Charities for Children collection box. Donate your larger items, fragile items, food, and potentially messy items like detergents and cleansers in the large collection area locations. There are locations on every campus – please check the right sidebar for the one nearest you. Don’t forget to use your blue bins and recycle as usual.
1. Donate Smaller Items
Drop off your smaller items in the Swift Charities for Children collection boxes. These items include:
- Clothing, shoes, and accessories
- Books, hangers, and storage bins
- Smaller household goods
- Smaller appliances (usable or not)
2. Donate Larger Items
Drop off your larger, fragile, or potentially messy items in the large collection areas. These items include:
- Furniture
- Lamps and egg-crate mattress pads
- Larger appliances and electronics (usable or not)
- Tightly-closed detergents or cleansers
- Unopened, nonperishable food
3. Recycle Items
Recycle the usual items, such as:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Plastic
- Metal
Community Participants
Swift Charities for Children is a Phoenix-based nonprofit organization benefiting local children in need. The organization has raised millions of dollars for charity since it first began in 2004. With more than 200 collection bins in parking lots all over Arizona, Swift Charities for Children collects nearly 100,000 pounds of donations weekly – more than can be used by local shelters. Donated items are sold and the profits given to local children’s charities. The program diverts waste from landfills, is 100% nonprofit, and focuses on improving the lives of children here in the Valley.
House of Refuge will receive many of the items donated at the Polytechnic collection locations. Located on the ASU Polytechnic campus, House of Refuge is a non-profit organization helping homeless families and individuals in crisis by providing transitional housing and supportive services that assist participants as they strive toward self-sufficiency and seek to attain permanent housing.
Community Participants »
Goals
Last year, ASU students contributed 32,888 lbs of stuff that was donated to charity, repurposed, or recycled. most of that was during spring move-out! We challenge you to beat last year’s numbers!
Donation Locations
Contact
ditchthedumpster@asu.edu
Find us on Facebook
Donation Receipt
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