For over two decades, Michigan State University has hosted Pack Up. Pitch In., an annual collection event that promotes reuse and recycling. Every spring when students move out of the residence halls, MSU Surplus Store & Recycling partners with MSU Residential and Hospitality Services (RHS) to gather roughly one million pounds of material over a two-week period. Gently used clothing, household goods, office supplies, furniture and appliances are inventoried and priced for resale through the campus Surplus Store. Special recycling service is arranged, along with our regular collection of metal, plastic, paper, glass and electronic waste.

Pack Up. Pitch In. also helps to connect people in need with donated nonperishable food, unused toiletries and cleaning products — an initiative led by RHS. Through these avenues of recycling and reuse, we divert away from the landfill an average of 36 percent of all material collected during move-out.

“This is my seventh year working move-out and it's always hectic and chaotic, but we have a good team and people lend a hand,” said Jake Bell (pictured above, on left), who manages the receiving end of the Surplus Store. “A lot of international and out-of-state students can't move everything home, so it's better and more sustainable to give it a second chance through the Surplus Store. Then someone doesn't have to buy it new. If something's not in good enough condition to sell, we try to recycle it. That's the service we provide the campus — doing what we can to keep things out of the landfill. We track everything we get in by weight, then we find the best avenue to sell it.”

We can always count on getting a hefty supply of mini fridges, futons, microwaves, area rugs, shower caddies, clothes and other common items. We also know that these items fly off the shelves at department stores every August as students prepare to move in, so we encourage incoming freshman to shop at the Surplus Store. This keeps material out of the landfill and provides students with more affordable options.

You might think, “in the grand scheme of things, why bother to reuse and recycle? Aren’t there bigger problems to address?”

To this, we point to the words of Robert Watson, chair of the committee responsible for a recent landmark report: “The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.”

Our actions need to respond to the challenges of our time, which is why MSU collaborates across departments to organize events like Pack Up. Pitch In. Though seemingly unrelated to the fate of our world, this collection event mitigates unsustainable consumption – an area that needs to be addressed if we are to create a more sustainable future. The word ‘consumption’ appears 45 times in the landmark report’s 39-page summary, signaling that the science is in – our excessive waste and consumption must change. Afterall, production and consumption impacts three of the top five drivers of change: pollution, climate change, and changes in land and sea use.

All this is to say, if you find yourself thinking listlessly “what’s the point of reusing this hand-me-down when I can buy a new one for cheap?” or “is recycling really worth the effort?” - we want to remind you that the answer is “yes.” Yes, it’s worth it. Inevitably, our actions will affect our very foundation – the planet – and it’s up to us to choose what affect we will have.

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