Oxford doesn’t just recycle, ShareFest helps reuse

Oxford’s ShareFest program, which has run since 2005, collected 77 tons of items in 2016 that Miami University students otherwise would have thrown away when the school year ended. The items go to charities. FILE PHOTOOxford’s ShareFest collected 77 tons of donations during the spring of 2016 as Miami Students allowed reuse of items they otherwise would have thrown away. FILE PHOTO

Oxford’s ShareFest program, which has run since 2005, collected 77 tons of items in 2016 that Miami University students otherwise would have thrown away when the school year ended. The items go to charities. FILE PHOTOOxford’s ShareFest collected 77 tons of donations during the spring of 2016 as Miami Students allowed reuse of items they otherwise would have thrown away. FILE PHOTO
News
By Mike Rutledge
Updated July 23, 2017
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Household recycling is only one way Oxford keeps things out of the landfill. Each spring, as students prepare to return home, the city’s ShareFest helps take their discarded items and put them into the hands of charities.

“As the students are leaving for the year, if they have usable items — bedding, clothing, unopened food, household equipment, things of nature — it allows them to donate it to various operations,” said city Environmental Specialist Dave Treleaven.

The program that started in 2005 last year kept 77 tons from going to landfills, he said. That’s about the weight of 13 Asian elephants.

Recipients included Butler County Childrens Services; Butler County Success; Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati; Lighthouse Food Pantry; Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries; Oxford Community Choice Pantry; Preble County Habitat for Humanity; and Student Veterans Association of Miami University.

“What they do is, as the the students know what they’re not going to be taking with them, they schedule a collection, and representatives from all these operations will go by, collect the materials, and load them into a vehicle.”

That 77 tons would have gone to landfills, or would have been picked up by trash scavengers who would have “picked up the good stuff, and left the garbage,” with the garbage often left strewn on properties, Treleaven said.

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About the Author

Mike Rutledge