Sustainable Move Out

After seeing overflowing dumpsters year after year, student Carlos Gonzales, Eng '21, decided to pitch his idea for a “Marquette Yard Sale” during the 2021 Brewed Ideas Challenge, run by the 707 Hub. Through his research, he identified opportunities to make Marquette more sustainable and inclusive with this initiative. Placing second in the Social Impact Track reaffirmed the potential and need for a student-driven, sustainable approach to move-out.
In fall 2021, Marquette Sustainability took the concept and applied for an Explorer Challenge Grant to launch the pilot program-MarKept Move-Out.

The goals:

• Give new life to gently used goods that end up in Marquette’s dumpsters at the end of the year and ultimately in Wisconsin landfills by creating a system that makes it easier for students to donate these items.
• Increase access and affordability to a Marquette education by offering an on-site yard sale during student move-in that sells goods diverted from move-out at a drastically reduced price.
• Reinforce Marquette’s call to social and environmental responsibility through action in a way that is unique to our Jesuit, Catholic identity and honors our commitment to the Laudato Si': On Caring for Our Common Home encyclical. 

A sustainable move-out means taking personal responsibility for donating, trading, properly recycling and moving unwanted items. This looks like:

• Bringing less with you during move-in
• Taking home items you no longer need over winter and spring breaks
• Planning ahead – try to sell unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or other online sites, or donate items to a charity or thrift stores
• Getting knowledgeable about what can be recycled, what can be trashed and what can be donated to MarKept Move-Out
• Making a plan to donate- either through the donation bin in a residence hall or by dropping items off

YES! All residence halls participate in MarKept Move-Out by donating accepted items to designated MarKept labeled bins. 

Please sort your items accordingly. Any items that are not accepted should be either properly recycled, placed in the trash or if hazardous materials, proper procedure should be followed and a work order should be placed.

YES! If you live in an apartment, you can drop off items at 811 North 16th Street (the old Coin Laundry next to Qdoba) through the end of May. 

Please sort your items accordingly. Any items that are not accepted should be either properly recycled, placed in the trash or if hazardous materials, proper procedure should be followed and a work order should be placed.

Items in good condition collected through MarKept Move-Out will be stored on-site over the summer at 811 North 16th Street and then resold during move in for free or low-cost at the same marketed location. Stay tuned for more details!

Items in good condition collected in residence halls not a part of the pilot will be donated to local charities.

The inception of this program is credited to the vision of Carlos Gonzalez '21, who sought to keep waste from ending up in our landfills.

The development and delivery of this program would not have been possible without the perserverance and dedication of Sarah Knott '23. She worked tirelessly on everything from the grant application to managing logistics & operations, to running the program.

A big thank you to Marquette students Brent Brunner, Grant Boyer, Rob Lagerman, and Matthew Dornbos for giving life to this project by creating a brand name (MarKept) that speaks to the mission of the program and embodies the vision of Marquette's sustainable future.

Please email sarah.knott@marquette.edu.

Any un-opened, non-perishable food items that are un-expired.

In the "Move Out for Hunger" labeled bins that will be in the lobby of each residence hall during Finals Week.

If you are in an apartment and would like to donate food items, please drop them off in the Arrupe Center on the first floor of the AMU across from The Brew.

All food donations go to support the Backpack Program, Marquette's on-campus student food pantry.

Please contact christine.little@marquette.edu