It’s a generally accepted fact that you can’t fit a beanbag chair in the overhead compartment on a flight from Tuscaloosa to New Jersey. And at the end of the spring semester, it didn’t seem like anyone was trying to. 

At a campus the size of The University of Alabama, move-out is an especially wasteful affair. With up to 9,000 residents living on campus at any given time, the transition home for the summer always lends itself to the rollout of overflowing donation bins and industrial-sized dumpsters. 

This year was no different. While some opted to sell their gently used dorm decor through online retailers like Facebook Marketplace, others decided it would be easier to just pile everything in their hallway trash rooms.

In Julia Tutwiler Hall, an all-women’s dormitory on campus, residents left behind a plethora of like-new objects. Barely used school supplies, matching sets of vanity stools, comforters, rugs and organizer carts littered the hallways. 

Presidential Village, a set of two, seven-story dormitory buildings, was sending just as much to the landfill. Entire couches, sealed toiletries, clothing, desk chairs, backpacks and other miscellaneous items were all to be left behind. 

Though it can be hard for out-of-state students to transport all their personal belongings cross-country, the sheer amount of trash that accumulates at the end of every academic year can be disheartening. The United States leads the world in waste, a reality that has severely negative environmental and social consequences. 

Beyond students increasing their reuse of items or opting for donation, there is another thrifty and eco-friendly option that many college students are finding themselves partaking in at the end of the year. As the waste piles up, it’s true that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and everybody’s going dumpster-diving. 

Though it’s still referred to as dumpster diving, one doesn’t have to get particularly dirty to grab the items students throw out at the end of a school year. Most things are haphazardly stacked in dorm trash rooms and hallways, with a surprising amount of things sitting outside of dorms meant for the taking. No wading through garbage involved. 

Dumpster-diving on a college campus has become increasingly popular on social media in recent years. As prices of goods skyrocket and sustainability becomes a priority, 2026 could be a good time to pick up the hobby 

So next May, when you find yourself in need of a painting, a couch, a set of pencils, some curtains or pretty much anything else you could ever imagine a college student owning, consider what other people might be leaving behind before spending your money. Not only will you be saving a buck, you’ll also be saving a perfectly good object from rotting away in a landfill all because someone couldn’t take it with them when they left. 

Save the planet and a twin size headboard. It’s really a two-for-one deal.