CP Thrift

CP Thrift is an initiative aimed at targeting waste in the Housing footprint. At the end of each year, students moving out of their on-campus housing toss away useful items that can’t be transported or stored. In response, the CP Thrift program was initiated by Cal Poly Green Campus student interns and implemented as a joint effort with University Housing. The CP Thrift program collects reusable items during the week of move-out for on-campus residents, sorts and cleans and stores them over the summer to be made available for students in the fall. In its first year, CP Thrift collected over 1,500 reusable items (3280 lbs.) of goods during move out and had a successful thrift fair in the fall, where 96% (by weight) of the goods were returned to the Cal Poly community for reuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What can I donate to CP Thrift?

  Commonly accepted items are hangers, mirrors, fans, power strips, organizers and storage bins, school supplies, dorm decor, and household items. However, CP Thrift will accept any item that would be used by on-campus housing residents with the exception of bedding, clothing, and mattress pads. However, clothing and bedding is collected by Goodwill and can still be placed in the donation bins.

• Where can I donate to CP Thrift?

  Each housing community has several donation bins located around the community. For updated locations, please view the move-out information on the Housing website.

• How can I get involved?

  CP Thrift relies on volunteers to run their program! If you are interested in volunteering, contact cpzerowaste@calpoly.edu or click here to sign up for the 2024 Move Out.