Two students, and two alumni, recently volunteered their time to help with a City of Iowa City initiative to keep unwanted items out of the landfill. Many leases expire in the Iowa City and Coralville area this time of year and renters’ potentially reusable castoffs end up in dumpsters during the move out period. Jovana Kolasinac and Farnaz Fatahi Moghadam, both second-year graduate students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs, assisted at the drive-thru drop-off point where donated items were divided between four nonprofit organizations for resale and redistribution. They worked alongside two alumni, and City of Iowa City employees, Jen Jordan, Resource Management Superintendent, and Sarah Gardner, Climate Action Engagement Coordinator. 

Donations included not only furniture but also clothing, food, books, small appliances, and other household goods. The event additionally served as a recycling collection point for batteries, light bulbs, and old mattresses. The total amount of donations is expected to exceed last year’s event which diverted almost 16,000 pounds of recyclable or usable goods from the landfill.