Fifteen tons of good stuff
Rummage sale saves leftover items from the landfill
When Mizzou residence halls closed in mid-May, students left a lot of stuff: microwaves, small refrigerators, piles of shoes and clothes, CD racks and many other items.
“From the bins that we use and how much they hold, we figure there’s about 15 tons of stuff here,” says Steve Burdic, coordinator of solid waste and recycling for Campus Facilities-Landscape Services.
That’s equivalent to two African elephants. All this stuff used to go to the landfill. This year it won’t. The first Tiger Treasures Rummage Sale will turn usable items into cash. All proceeds go to the Salvation Army. In addition, more than a ton of donated food went to the Central Missouri Food Bank.
“It’s my job to turn solid waste into recycling, and that’s what we’re doing here,” Burdic says.
From May 1-14, five crews worked at different times to transport items left in recycling bins at Mizzou residence halls to the stadium. Since then, four or five people have been working daily to sort, check and price the materials. Items will be sold at “rummage sale prices,” Burdic says.
“We’re going to keep the prices on things as low as we can because we want them to get used,” Burdic says.
The Tiger Treasures Rummage Sale will take place June 2 on the east side of Memorial Stadium. From 6-7 a.m., admission is $5. From 7 a.m. to noon, admission is free.
Some of the items for sale include:
- Working TV sets, microwaves and small refrigerators
- Pink high-heeled sneakers (and a table piled high with shoes)
- Multi-armed lamp
- Stuffed yak
- An EnviraScape fountain
- The OC game
- Sweet Dreams Pablo Backyardigans doll still in the box
- A purple child’s bike
- One Gateway computer and monitor
- Room-sized carpets
- The top from a Spring Woods marching band costume, complete with a swath of gold lamé draped from the right shoulder
- Pink clutch with “Goddess” stamped on it in rhinestones
- Gardener’s tool bag decorated with carrots, onions and peas
- Phones (including a see-through one with multi-colored components)
A table is stacked with microwaves, small refrigerators and other small appliances to be sold.
Piles of blue jeans and other clothes will be available at the Tiger Treasures Rummage Sale.