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, Facilities Management and Operations, 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 to divert tons of waste as we do every year!

Summer 2026 Dates:

• Donation bins will become available at undergraduate residences during each major move-out date.
• Donation bins at graduate residences are available from June 18th through the conclusion of Move-Out on July 15th.
• Donation bins are available throughout the summer at 610 Beacon Street and 518 Park Drive.

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: We can take foam and fabric mattress pads for recycling.

For more information on what can be donated and how to sort your items, please refer to this document. Please note, this program is only for students.

Donation Locations

Look for the donation bins located at these buildings. All locations listed will have a Goodwill, Textile Recycling, 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. 
  
• The Towers: Drop-off station located on the main floor in the recycling alcove, across from the vending machines.
• 14 Buswell Street: Drop-off station located on the first floor, to the right of the entryway door.
• 33 Harry Agganis Way: Drop-off station located on the first floor in the main lobby (front right corner).
• 90 St. Mary's Street: Exact location TBD.
• 518 Park Drive / South Campus: Drop-off station located in the basement of 516-522 Park in the mail room area, under the stairs. 
  
• 580 Commonwealth Ave: Drop-off station located on the first floor in the main lobby (front left corner).
• 610 Beacon Street: Drop-off station located on the main floor back hallway, close to the kitchen.
• 815 Albany Street (Medical Student Residence): Drop-off station located in the basement, in the back of the laundry room.

Drop-Off Donation Station

Continuing from last year, summer Goodwill, Not Landfill will include an outdoor drop-off location where residents of South Campus can donate items during move-out. The drop-off location will include donation bins for Goodwill, Textile Donation/Recycling, Mattress Pads & Toppers, and unopened/unexpired food for donation to the BU Food Pantry.

The outdoor donation station, located behind 6 Buswell Street, will be open on three separate days. The donation dates are:

• Saturday, July 11th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Monday, July 13th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 15th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

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 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 are not allowed to take items from donation bins.
• Faculty and Staff are not allowed to take any items from the donation areas.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our team at sustainability@bu.edu