How students can give back and reduce waste through the Move Out Project

As Binghamton University students pack up their belongings at the end of the semester, many find themselves with items they no longer need or just can’t transport back home. Instead of throwing them away, the Move Out Project (MOP) gives those items a second life. 

Founded by Binghamton University alumna Christina Fuller ’19, MPA ’21, the volunteer-driven initiative collects usable items at spring move-out and redistributes them throughout the greater Binghamton community. A wide range of items is gathered and shared with local organizations, making it easier for students to give back during one of their busiest times of the year.

Students who live on-campus and off-campus will have the chance to give back to the community through the Move Out Project as they clear their living space for the summer. Through May 19, on-campus students will be able to leave items at collection bins around campus, as well as at outdoor collection events. A full list of bin and outdoor collections can be found on the Move Out Project website.

Item pickup for students who live off-campus runs through May 31. This can be done either by signing up for a pickup appointment time slot or by dropping items off at the Move Out Project’s storage facility. Both options require signup three days in advance of the pickup to guarantee an appointment. The appointment signup form can be found here. Anyone who wishes to volunteer for the Move Out Project can likewise fill out this form to express interest.

“The Binghamton Move Out Project has been an exciting part of residence hall move-out for a few years now,” said Casey Wall, director of Residential Life and Housing. “The ability for students to donate items they are no longer interested in to benefit the greater Binghamton community is just awesome.”

Volunteers gather and organize thousands of items each year through pickups, donation bins, and other large-scale sorting efforts. Donations are distributed to local nonprofits, schools, churches, and community groups, helping ensure items like clothing, furniture, and household goods quickly reach those who need them.

What began as a small effort has grown into a large-scale operation. Fuller, who grew up in nearby Johnson City, saw firsthand the amount of waste generated during move-out and its impact on the surrounding community, including usable items left for disposal and the strain it placed on relationships between students and residents.

“As a junior in college in 2018 and being both a student and someone who grew up in the area, I started the Move Out Project as a way to keep usable stuff out of the landfill and ultimately bridge the gap between the community I called home for years and my new home at the University,” Fuller said.

In its first year, the project relied on a small group of volunteers using their personal vehicles to collect donations from just over 100 students. Since then, MOP has expanded significantly – now operating with more than 140 volunteers, a dedicated on-campus space in the University Union, and a growing network of community partners.

“Eight years later, MOP reaches further than I ever dreamed,” Fuller said. “We have a team of dedicated coordinators who return year after year, an army of 150 volunteers, and counting, and we continue to work with new donation partners to get the items into the hands of those who need them in our community.”

The impact has grown alongside the operation. During the Spring 2025 cycle alone, volunteers collected, sorted, and donated more than 34,000 pounds of material that would have otherwise gone to landfills. 

For many volunteers, the project’s environmental mission is only part of what keeps them involved. “I started volunteering with MOP a few years after its inception,” said Chris Harasta, co-coordinator of the project. “I could see all of the waste that was generated during spring move-out, and MOP was such a cool way to divert those items away from the landfill. Reducing waste was the reason I got involved, but seeing how impactful these items were to the folks who received them was the reason I stayed.”

In partnership with Residential Life and Facilities Management, MOP has expanded its on-campus presence, making it easier for students to donate. Collection bins are placed in residence halls, and outdoor tents during peak move-out days allow students and families to drop off items as they pack up.

Between mid-May collection events, weeks of sorting, and early June distribution days, the project operates at full capacity during the move-out period. Volunteers spend hours weighing, categorizing, and organizing donations before community partners collect them and bring them to their new homes.

Despite the busy end-of-semester schedule, Fuller said the continued participation from students is what makes the project possible. “No matter what fuels a student’s donation – keeping items out of the landfill, giving back to the community outside of the University’s bubble, or simply lightening their load for the trip home – I hope they know how big of an impact their donations make,” Fuller said.