Students at New York University have been doing their part to reduce waste by exchanging belongings at a college swap shop instead of throwing them away, NBC News reported last August.
As of about 2015, the average college student was estimated to produce around 640 pounds of trash per year.
However, "trash" is a loose term. While that material might go to a landfill, much of it consists of useful items, such as household goods that could easily be passed on to another student.
That's what this student-led program at NYU made happen.
"I think it's hard enough to be a student, it's expensive enough," student Hanin Amer told NBC, pointing to the economic benefits of reusing items.
Amer and others spent last spring and summer collecting and cleaning discarded items from their fellow students. Then, in late August 2025, they gave incoming students access to a stunning array of goods to outfit their dorms.
Over 1,800 students showed up to take advantage of the swap shop, which included items like clothes, mini fridges, and about 155 microwaves. Students were encouraged but not required to drop off their own donations and take what they needed.
At the end of the day, only a few unclaimed items were left behind.
This approach is a great way for incoming students to save money. It also relieves some of the burden on local landfills and reduces the likelihood of pollution and litter from improper item disposal.
Using secondhand items also reduces the need to manufacture — and package and ship — new ones. In a world where goods get more expensive all the time, reducing the load on our manufacturing system, using fewer resources, and choosing lower-cost alternatives can benefit everyone.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 "Not all NYU students are coming from the same context, the same economic backgrounds, and so there are a lot of students and families that really appreciate initiatives like the swap shop, because it's ... alleviating a lot of the stress that comes with higher education already," Amer told NBC.
There is also the possibility that the swap could be opened up to more of New York's community in the future and maybe even model a program for other schools to duplicate.
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