Trash piles up outside residence halls during move-in at The University of Tampa. Photo courtesy of Dr. Laura Meehan. Photo captured: Aug. 20, 2025.
This article was first published on Nov. 3 and updated on Nov. 8.
The University of Tampa (UTampa) struggles to manage the massive waste generated during student move-in and move-out each year.
By Abagail Copanas
TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tampa currently has around 11,400 students enrolled as of Fall 2025, with nearly 45% living on campus. This means that roughly 5,000 students will go through the move-out process during their time at the university.
“Facilities work nonstop during the week of move-out to collect trash, and unfortunately, cannot keep up with the volume,” said Madi Klinefelter, a graduate residence assistant for Straz Hall. “The large dumpsters outside help, but I am unsure how frequently they were emptied, if at all.”
Each move-out generates large quantities of waste, including bulky furniture, clothing, bedding, utensils, food, and single-use plastics. The sheer volume of discarded items creates both logistical and environmental challenges for the university.
The same can be seen during move-in as many students discard boxes, plastic packaging, and unwanted items while unpacking.
Cassandra Miller, a junior at UTampa, helped run a small donation project in spring 2025. She shared some of the priorities the university has during move-out.
“The campus’s main priority during move-out is just getting the trash out. The university is also concerned with congestion and traffic, so creating a quick and easy move-out process is at the top of their list,” said Miller.
Situated in downtown Tampa, the campus is surrounded by heavy traffic and limited space for waste storage or large-scale collection. Congestion makes adding more trucks or collection vehicles during move-out difficult, and space limits the university’s ability to implement large, centralized donation or recycling stations.
When the Facilities Office at the university was contacted concerning this issue, the only response came from Anthony Simmarano, director of Facilities, explaining that he must decline all requests of this nature.
It is unclear if this issue is on the agenda for the university, as their most recent update to the recycling page was from 2018, with no mention of move-out waste initiatives.
“My long-term goal for this donation project is for the university to eventually take over and implement it on a larger scale,” said Miller.
Miller’s initiative brings hope for improved waste removal on campus. More donation sites, coordination, and promotion from the university could help Miller’s project gain more traction.
The donation program is a two-way street, as students must choose to participate. Although donation programs appeal to many students, others have doubts.
“Most residents don’t want to be told what to do. Those who want to donate will, and those who do not care about throwing away all of their belongings will do it because they can,” Klinefelter said. “I think students become stressed during move-out, and as a result, begin throwing everything away.”
Large-scale donation programs may encounter challenges related to management and values, but they have proven successful at other universities, such as the Terp to Terp program at the University of Maryland (UMD).
“The accessibility of the program is really what makes it so effective,” said Kerrie Bynum, a resident assistant at UMD. “They place the donation pallets right next to the dumpsters during move-out, and so most people I know go to throw things out, then realize it can be donated as the pallets are right there with clear signs about what can be donated, and they opt to do that instead of throwing it out.”
UTampa has the opportunity to lead by example and take steps toward real change. Miller has already begun the process of implementing donation sites during move-out. With support from staff, students, and administrators, UTampa could transform the move-in and move-out process by managing waste more responsibly and sustainably.