College Workshop- Major Event, Game Day and Move Out Programs: Erica Mattison, Suffolk University shares best practices in establishing a university Move Out program in an attempt to prompt reuse.

1. This spring, reduce the amount of usable items
discarded in your residence halls
Erica Mattison
Sustainability Coordinator
Suffolk University, Boston

2. Key question:
At the end of the school year, what
happens to the stuff students don't
want to keep???

3. Make it easy for students to
give, and many of them will!

4. Spike in output
at residence
halls in
April/May
 your campus
has an
opportunity.

5. What you need:
Structure
• A system, known to all key players
• Res Life, Facilities, Program Staff,
Janitorial Staff
• Promotion (in advance and during)
• Housing for staff
• Convenient drop-off locations
• Temporary storage spaces
• Plans for pick-ups or deliveries

6. People Power
• Staff (paid or unpaid)
• Community partners (charities)

7. Materials
• Collection hampers (chained together)
• Signage indicating what goes where &
reminder signage (i.e. waste closet doors)
• Hundreds of boxes (same size; donated),
tape/dispensers, bags, labels
WAIT!
CAN THAT BE
DONATED?!
If you have clean items in
good or fair condition
please donate them to
Dump and Run!
Location:
10 West Lobby
When:
Now through the end of move-out

8. Lessons Learned
• Timing: Set up collection points two weeks before move-out
• Efficiency: Uniform sized boxes
• Time saver: have labels ready to go for each org
• Info: Promote the orgs that will benefit
• Don’t let your hampers pull a disappearing act –chain together so
students moving out don’t borrow them
• Staffing: Can Res Life assign some student staff to sort and pack?
• Lack of storage? Have organizations conduct pick-ups throughout

9. Ken Hung, Suffolk University
Professor of Operations
Management, for lending his
expertise
ABM Janitorial Services staff,
for their many years of helping
ensure a smooth program
Jim Wallace, Suffolk University
Facilities Operations, for his support
of the program
Bob Mullin, Casey & Hayes
Movers, for generous donation of
500 boxes
Caroline Davis, Suffolk University
Residence Life, for integrating Dump
& Run into Move-Out
The many Suffolk students who
have contributed to the program and
staffed the program
Lisa Heller Boragine, Dump and
Run, for her many
years of partnership
Thank you!

10. Erica Mattison
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Suffolk University, Boston, MA
emattison@suffolk.edu
www.suffolk.edu/sustainability
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