Eckerd College campus thrift sale: Program funds student jobs

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Behind a curtain in Eckerd College's Cobb Gallery sits a temporary summer showroom filled with mini fridges, fans, books, pet supplies and more.

Eckerd College campus sale

What we know:

It is all part of Trash to Treasure, an annual campus thrift sale designed to keep usable items out of local landfills while funding student employment.

The student-founded initiative began in August 2014, collecting items left behind during May student move-outs. Student interns clean and repair them, and resell the items to incoming students, faculty, and staff at 25 percent to 50 percent of retail prices.

"Our first sale was August 2014," Evan Bollier, the director of sustainability at Eckerd College, said. "We made about $3,000, which was enough to hire two interns in the next summer."

"This past year, we earned roughly $25,000, and that was enough for 15 summer interns," he said.

The proceeds directly support the college's summer internship program. Interns not only organize and run the sale, but also staff the campus bike shop and the college farm.

"The more money that we can make, the more students I can hire," Bollier said. "And the more students I can hire, the more opportunities that we give our students."

Campus waste reduction

By the numbers:

Beyond generating wages, the sale has overhauled the college's environmental footprint. Before the program began, move-out season generated roughly 30 tons of waste each May. Today, that figure has been cut to under 15 tons, Bollier said.

"It's huge. I mean, I think we gently teach sustainability the first day, what sustainability looks like in a pragmatic, real-world fashion for students when they come onto campus. We get them to a large thrift store on the very first day, and it also teaches students entrepreneurial skills, the ones specifically that work here that learn to see value in what other people might see as trash," he said.

Student perspectives

What they're saying:

The process has also served as a hands-on learning tool for campus waste habits.

Kinsey Perkins, an incoming senior and summer intern, noted that sorting through donations highlighted common recycling mistakes among both students and staff, prompting clearer educational signage across campus.

"People are recycling the wrong stuff or bringing in things that we can't use," Perkins said, adding that staff members have actively worked to address the issue. "They're learning with us."

She says the experience has also helped her within her major.

"I'm really interested in animal conservation, which that goes hand in hand with both of my majors. And so being able to see how all of this trash would be put in landfills, taking away from animal habitats and honestly ruining our environment, it's really nice to see that it would go right back into the hands of students instead of being previously thrown out," Perkins said.

Among the items collected each year, ranging from essential appliances to unique finds like a popcorn machine, anything left over after the event is donated to local charities.

Upcoming campus schedule

What's next:

The Trash to Treasure sale takes place Friday and Saturday and is open exclusively to Eckerd College students, faculty and staff.

St. Petersburg