Goodwill, Not Landfill

Lighten your load while supporting a local nonprofit

During Move Out, BU diverts tons of items from the trash, from clothing to furnishings to kitchen items. Since the program began in May 2009, we have saved several hundred tons of material from landfills and incinerators. Let’s continue this legacy by helping BU Sustainability, Residence Life, BU Student Wellbeing, and Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries collect used items for reuse. If you're ready to say goodbye to some of your belongings, consider what might be used again and make a plan to bring it to one of our convenient donation locations. Help us donate more than last year (225,000lbs)!

Spring 2025 Dates:

  • Saturday, April 26th through the conclusion of Move-Out.
  • Food Donations start April 11th through Move-Out.

    What do I do with my stuff?

    There are multiple donation bins at Goodwill, Not Landfill. These bins help separate items out and make it easier to donate and recycle during move-out.

    • Goodwill: clothing, shoes, accessories, small appliances, small furnishings, housewares, kitchenware, décor, etc.
    • BU Food Pantry Drop-Off: Non-perishable, unopened food items and toiletries will be collected at all major residence halls. All of these items will be donated to the BU Food Pantry.
    • Textile Recycling: ripped, dirty, stained clothing, all bedding & blankets, pillows. There will be a separate bin at every donation location for you to recycle dirty, stained, and ripped items.
    • Mattress Pads & Toppers

    For more information on what can be donated and how to sort your items, please refer to this document.

    Donation Locations

    Look for the donation bins located at these buildings. All locations listed will have a Goodwill, Textile Recyling, BU Food Pantry, and Mattress Pads & Toppers donation bins unless noted.

    West Campus (Rich, Sleeper, Claflin): Drop-off stations are located inside each building on the main floor just beyond the security desk.
    Warren Towers: 1 drop-off station located on the 4th floor in the lounge near the elevator & vending machines.
    610 Beacon Street: 1 drop-off station located on the main floor back hallway near the bike room.
    Kilachand Hall: 1 drop-off station located inside the main entrance to the left.
    The Towers: 1 drop-off station located on the main floor in the recycling alcove.
    1019 Comm Ave: 1 drop-off station on the main floor just beyond the security desk.
    Danielsen Hall: 1 drop-off station located in the basement lounge area.
    10 Buick Street: 1 drop-off station located on the lower-level floor across from the Residence Life office.
    33 Harry Agganis Way: 1 drop-off station located on the first floor in the main lobby (back right corner).
    Hojo: 1 drop-off station located on the main floor to the right under the stairs.
    Fenway Campus: Located in the campus center (150 Riverway) on the first floor in the main lobby.
    South Campus (indoor location): Located in the basement of 516-522 Park in the mail room area.
    890 Commonwealth Ave (CELOP): Located on the 2nd floor of the building

    Drop-Off Donation Stations

    New this year, Goodwill, Not Landfill will include outdoor drop-off locations where residents of South Campus, Bay State Road, and BU students who live off-campus can donate items during move-out. Each drop-off location will include donation bins for Goodwill, Textile Recycling, Mattress Pads & Toppers, and the BU Food Pantry. In addition, students will be able to dispose of:

    • Food Waste: Any expired, packaged, or unpackaged food waste, all perishable food.

    These drop-off donation stations will be open on seven different dates during move-out. See below for a map and a list of the locations.

    • Wednesday, May 7, from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    • Thursday, May 8, from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    • Friday, May 9, from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    • Saturday, May 10, from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
    • Saturday, May 17, from 2:00pm – 6:00 p.m.
    • Sunday, May 18, from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
    • Monday, May 19, from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Drop-Off locations:

    • Bay State Rd 
      • 172 Bay State Rd (Rear) – Behind the building next to the dumpster
      • 199 Bay State Rd (Front) – In the street in front of the building where our cardboard corral typically is
    • South Campus
      • 29 Buswell (Rear)
      • 504 Park (Street) – In the street near the corner of Buswell and Park
      • 509 Park (Rear) – Behind the building in the parking spots
      • 2 Buswell (Street) – In the street near the corner of Buswell and Arundel

    Bike Storage and Surrender

    For those who wish to leave their bike or scooter at BU over the summer, the BU Cycle Kitchen offers a Storage and Surrender Service (“BUCK SaSS”).

    For storage you pay $50 via credit card and will be able to pick up your bike/scooter on September 5, 6, 12, and 13, and receive $25 back. You are able to drop off your bike/scooter from 2-5 pm at Booth Theater Plaza (820 Comm Ave) on:

    • Friday, May 2nd
    • Saturday, May 3rd
    • Friday, May 9th
    • Saturday, May 10th

    If you’re not returning to campus, surrender your bike at the same days and times and the BUCK will make sure it gets put to good use. Visit the BUCK SaSS page for more details.

    Item Exchange Policy

    There are a lot of logistics and moving parts that allow this program to be a success. To mitigate and streamline operations, we have an exchange policy for the Goodwill, Not Landfill program.

    Give One-Take One Policy: 

    During the move-out period it is possible you will see an item in the donation bins that interests you or you may want to take home. Because move-out is a fast-paced and often chaotic period, we have some ground rules for taking items from the GWNL donation bins.

    Throughout GWNL, only students or family members accompanied by students, may take an item from the bins after donating one. To help ensure an operationally smooth GWNL, we ask that you follow these rules as part of the give one-take one policy.

    Rules: 

    • Students CANNOT dig through, dump out or otherwise make a mess of donation areas while exchanging items from donation areas.
    • Students CANNOT loiter at donation areas waiting for specific items to be donated.
    • Family members must be accompanied by a BU student, at all times, to exchange items at the donation areas.
    • Faculty and Staff CANNOT take any items from the donation areas.

    Giveaway Day for Faculty and Staff

    For the first time, we offering a one-day event where we open up our 6 outdoor drop-off locations for faculty and staff to take items. At each of these locations, a member from the BU Sustainability team will be present to oversee this and to check BU ID’s.

    • Must have BU ID on hand to participate
    • First come, first serve (No holds)
    • Limit 5 items per person

    *Only locations below are open for this event. Do NOT got to any indoor stations and take items.

    **Hourly staff must be off the clock to participate.

    Date: Monday May 12th

    Where:

    • South Campus (Open 1:00PM – 5:00PM)
      • 29 Buswell (Rear)
      • 504 Park (Street)
      • 509 Park (Rear)
      • 2 Buswell (Street)
    • Bay State Rd (Open 2:30PM – 5:00PM)
      • 172 Bay State Rd (Rear)
      • 199 Bay State Rd (Front)

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