Since the program’s inception in 2009, “Goodwill, Not Landfill” has redirected over 2 million pounds of items. The May 2024 move-out was one of the largest in program history, diverting over 150,000 pounds of materials from landfills and incinerators. Additionally, because of the large volume of materials donated and recycled during the spring move-out, there was a 50,000-pound decrease in trash collected during this period.

Program Enhancement

The May 2024 move-out marked a significant enhancement in “Goodwill, Not Landfill.” Enhancements included large furniture, textiles such as bedding and pillows, and non-perishable, unopened food items. Historically, the program has only been run at traditional residences. In 2024, the program expanded to include drop-off tents to service the students living on South Campus.

One noteworthy new initiative collected unopened, non-perishable food items for the BU Food Pantry. The Food Pantry, which is run by BU Student Wellbeing, helps support all students on campus who may be facing episodic food insecurity and educates students about how they can make nutritious and budget-friendly choices. Through the course of three weeks, over 500 pounds of food was donated to stock the pantry.

Award-Winning GOAT Program

Much of the recent success of the program was due to a team of students known as GOATs (Goodwill, Not Landfill Operations Assistance Team). Over a dozen BU students sporting hot-pink high-visibility vests helped ensure an effective and sustainable move-out period. GOATs were stationed across campus and helped to sort and organize donated materials and to engage with fellow students about the program. As a result of their hard work and impact, this group of students were awarded the Mass Recycle Annual Award in the University category.

A Collaborative Effort

Along with the long-standing partnership with Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, the organization which serves Greater Boston, BU Sustainability works with numerous partners both in and outside of the university. Facilities Management and Operations staff, particularly custodial teams, play an active role in ensuring a clean and efficient move-out process. Additionally, BU works closely with its resource management partner, Casella, to collect items for specialty recycling. Casella not only collected the mattress toppers, but they also found an end site for this hard-to-recycle item. In addition, Helpsy collected textiles for recycling.