Moving Days: University, city “divide and conquer”

Each August, thousands of students move into and out of downtown apartments, leaving behind mountains of cast-off belongings.

In an effort to conquer the mess and maximize the benefit to the community, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a coalition of local partners, including the city of Madison, Goodwill Industries and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, are working together on Moving Days, an Aug. 11-14 campaign to encourage students to donate usable items to local charities and to properly dispose of trash and recyclables.

New for 2007 is the availability of an easy-to-print online flyer featuring instructions for donating, recycling and tossing items during move out. Neighborhood associations, landlords and other concerned citizens are encouraged to print and share the flyer with their student neighbors and tenants.

Also new this year is the focus on following city rules for disposal of trash and recyclables. Although many items are worthy of donating, many are not. Students should use the green recycling carts, keep curbside trash and recycling separate, keep all trash in cans or bags, and check the city of Madison Web site for other recycling and trash disposal guidelines.

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