AMHERST — In separate trips to the plaza outside Hampden Commons on the University of Massachusetts campus last Wednesday morning, sophomore Grace Altman hand-delivered an upholstered headboard with outlets, and a rug and ottoman, furnishings she had in her Southwest Residential Area dorm room.

With the semester ending and departure from the campus imminent, Altman said the items could be both useful and inexpensive when resold to students arriving at UMass in the fall.

“I just know how hard it can be to come to college, and it can put a burden on a lot of people,” Altman said. “This will give someone else an easier move in.”

Altman handed the items to volunteers and staff from the New2U, the program and thrift store overseen by the Facilities Management Sustainability team, also known as Sustainable UMass.

“They’re in great condition, and I won’t have to throw them away,” Altman said.

A short time later, Ryan Blum, also a sophomore, comes by the collection center with a foam mattress pad and nightstand.

“I saw signs for it and there was stuff I knew I wouldn’t be bringing to my apartment next year,” Blum said. “It’s better to bring it here than to throw it away.”

The effort to get UMass students to donate, rather than dispose, has been part of the move-out since 2014, formally called the New2U Sustainable Move-Out Collection and Move-In Tag Sale.

“This is now pretty baked into the move out,” said Laurie Simmons, assistant campus sustainability manager at UMass. “We take all the stuff students don’t want, don’t need or literally the stuff that won’t fit in the car.”

Eight New2U tents set up at each residential area around campus to make it convenient for drop off.

First year-round store

Over the winter, UMass opened the first dedicated space for the academic year-round thrift store, carved out from space inside Hampden Commons, where students can regularly shop for cheaper-than-new items that are being resold. The storefront and storage space means a permanent base of operations to expand the ongoing waste-reduction efforts at UMass.

“The university has invested a lot of resources, time and money into this program.” Simmons said.

To make it a success, emails go out to all students and outreach is done, as well, though the School of Earth & Sustainability.

“A lot is about communication, to students and staff,” Simmons said.

Among the most popular drop off items are foam mattress pads which, like most clothing and textiles, or about 7,000 pounds a year, get recycled.

Ezra Small, the campus sustainability manager, said UMass partners with a vendor to ensure the foam mattress pads get turned into carpet padding.

Only about 1% of clothing, typically what is considered high quality, or which remains in its original packaging, gets sold at the store.

Since the program’s inception, New2U has been able to divert well over 100,000 pounds of items from landfills, Small said.

As another student dropped off a box with several articles of clothing, as well as a power strip, decorative salad tongs in the shape of skeletal hands and water bottles with a UMass logo, Simmons examines them and then staff and volunteers begin the sorting process.

Simmons said all donations are cleaned, tested and organized. For an item such as a Keurig coffee maker dropped off, they will test it to make sure it can brew a cup of coffee before being placed for sale.

“Electronics are tested to a basic level,” Simmons said, adding that there is a refund policy for broken electronics.

To accommodate the move-out operation, Simmons said the thrift store was taken apart and the floor space converted into part of the sorting operation, with large cardboard boxes part of the organizational effort. A large storage room, while well organized for now, will soon become packed with items, including the mini fridges in all shapes and sizes, which sell for $75 and are the most expensive items.

Maintainers have key job

Part of the process of collecting items also includes the maintainers who are trained to identify what has resale value and what should go into the dumpsters. Small said internal communication includes reaching out to all supervisors.

“Facilities staff is great at grabbing stuff that is good,” Small said. “They know to come here and give us that stuff.”

For many years, Move-In Tag Sale has been held on the lawn near the Southwest horseshoe, and for a time inside the pre-renovated Student Union. This year’s tag sale is set for Aug. 30, the same day that the UMass football team has its home opening game against Temple University. Small expects that this will bring lot of people for browsing and then buying.

Last year, Small said that international students representing more than 50 countries were on hand, making it easier to outfit their dorm rooms than going to big box stores. The program also offers a delivery service for those without vehicles.

The addition of the thrift store makes the New2U program completely self-sustaining, as proceeds from the store and tag sale underwrite the cost of student staff salaries and other expenses, and provides the campus community with waste reduction and sustainability all year.

“Beyond a solution for campus waste diversion and reuse, we envision the New2U Thrift Store will foster a culture of circularity at UMass Amherst,” Small said in a statement. “New2U will provide students with opportunities for meaningful service through campus jobs and volunteering and act as a hub for engagement in campus sustainability efforts.”

Bringing metal crutches that he is no longer using and a comforter for a bed, freshman Matt Horgan said he had noticed the signs advertising the event and wanted to make sure those items found a use, if possible.

“It’s no crazy act of kindness, but I thought why throw them away,” Horgan said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.