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Eckerd seniors' 'trash' will be recycled this year

 
Students add to a pile of discarded refrigerators, mattresses, sheets, coffeemakers and more at Eckerd College’s Omega residence hall, which houses seniors.
Students add to a pile of discarded refrigerators, mattresses, sheets, coffeemakers and more at Eckerd College’s Omega residence hall, which houses seniors.
Published May 19, 2014

Imagine what students accumulate over the course of living in a dorm over four years: mini-fridges, mattresses, sheets, coffee makers, bins, etc.

Now imagine the bulk of that being pitched in piles by graduating Eckerd College seniors who had to be out of their rooms by noon Monday.

The photo above was taken at the Omega residence hall, where seniors live.

Eckerd spokesman Ton Scherberger told the Times in an email that even bigger piles of accoutrements were expected on all three floors of the dorm.

But fear not that the still-usable items will become trash this year. For the first time, Scherberger said, the college has organized a Trash to Treasure campaign to reduce the amount of garbage.

He said that in an average month, the college spends $7,200 a month on solid waste, but in May the cost has shot up to $19,000 — the direct result of the students leaving behind so much stuff.

The college plans to have two yard sales this summer, one for staff and faculty in July and another in August for new students, Sherberger said. All proceeds will support the college's sustainability projects (which include a bike sharing program, campus recycling and composting).