In May 2008, the Recycling Task Force began the first annual Cram & Scram Reuse Program. The program intends to reduce the amount of solid waste landfilled at the end of the school year, as students move out of their dorms and leave behind reusable goods. The Recycling Task Force hires students (around 25 each year) to comb the campus, room-by-room, to collect TVs, fridges, couches, tables, chairs, lamps, kitchen supplies, hangers, and office supplies. C&S also collects bedding and durable food goods, which the school donates to local animal shelters and food pantries respectively.
The program has grown popular among students, who have the opportunity to buy like-new dorm furnishings at the beginning of each school year (the weekend before classes start). Prices are capped at $50 per item and average $5-15. This is a great opportunity, especially for Freshman, to furnish their dorm rooms at a marked discount. Everyone who participates in the sale takes a step towards reducing the College's environmental footprint.
Past results follow.
In the 2008 Cram & Scram sale, twenty-six student volunteers, led by Ashley Langer '09, collected recyclables and reusable materials, reducing waste by 28 percent.
Volunteers collected:
* 8.83 tons of books
* 7.84 tons of paper group recycling
* 4.30 tons of container group recycling, which were sent to the Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center
* 1169 pounds of kitchen items and toys and 2181 pounds of clothing went to the Salvation Army
* 1271 pounds of bedding went to the Steven Swan Humane Society
* 642 pounds of food went to the Clark's Mills Food Pantry
* Three tractor-trailer loads of dorm furnishings and electronics, including futons, rugs, refrigerators, microwaves, lamps, shelving, chairs, kitchen supplies, and couches, were stored over the summer.
