Nothing Left Behind: College of Charleston's Road to Zero Waste

^{Above: Sydney Tuplin, CSD student-employee who served as the 2026 Mindful Move-Out specialist (Photos provided by the Center for Sustainable Development)}

For the College of Charleston Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), May comes with two big events to tackle: Mindful Move-Out and A Charleston Affair. Having these two monumental events run seamlessly requires a great deal of collaboration and partnership.

Mindful Move-Out

The annual spring move-out is a year-round effort for the Center for Sustainable Development. Not only does the team operate a free store, where all members of the campus community can come to get needed items, they also reach out to members of the community to partner with them.

The CSD has partnered with Goodwill on Mindful Move-Out since 2004, and this year Goodwill accepted 13,600 pounds of goods. Two new partners this year are The East Cooper Home Store and Food Not Bombs/Shifa Clinic. Other campus partners include the Cougar Pantry, which accepts the lion share of food left behind, and Student Health Services, which accepted two pairs of crutches. Since 2022, the center has collaborated with Closet Case Thrift; BedShred, which recycled 5,370 pounds of mattress pads; and Green Zone, which recycled 200 pounds of clothing. 

In addition, the CSD works with organizations to help fill their specific needs, including Teachers’ Supply Closet, Haven, East Cooper Community Outreach, Charleston Animal Society and Friends of the Library.

“Being part of the Mindful Move-Out program has shown me how small actions can create a large impact,” says Abby Malloy ’26, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in environmental and sustainability studies and public administration. “The program not only keeps usable items out of landfills but also helps build a stronger sense of community and environmental responsibility on campus. Over the past three years, I have been able to help the CSD and volunteers collect and sort the donations, which has made me think more intentionally about waste and reuse of materials and the impact of what we may leave behind.”

This year’s move-out efforts led to 41,003 pounds of goods being diverted from the dump, with housewares taking the lead in terms of weight at 13,726 pounds.

During Mindful Move-Out, the team had some unusual items left behind, including a buffet table at Craig Residence Hall that took six people to move down the stairs, matching shark Snuggie blankets, mannequin legs and a hot dog suit.

“We love to see our students donate items that no longer serve them so that they can support others, and we hope to see this circular economy of giving grow at the College and the greater Charleston community,” says Katie Doherty ’16, zero waste manager. “While we are seeing a changing culture around consumption, we continue to see more and more consumption of goods related to student housing and the waste associated with it. I encourage students to think about their purchases before buying something: Do they really need it? Can they get it secondhand?”

A Charleston Affair

For A Charleston Affair, an event that has welcomed new graduates to the alumni community since 1900, the Center for Sustainable Development partnered with Keep Charleston Beautiful. 

“I volunteered with Keep Charleston Beautiful at an oyster roast for Charleston Waterkeepers and really enjoyed the professionalism they showed,” says Doherty. “We recently began collaborating with A Charleston Affair again and knew if we wanted to make the event fully zero waste, we would need strong leadership, and that Keep Charleston Beautiful could help us with that. 

“Zero waste touches all vendors and guests, so having professionals plan and organize the event is essential when dealing with an event of this size,” she adds. “We hope to continue partnering with Keep Charleston Beautiful on this event and others in the future.”

To qualify as a zero-waste event requires that at least 90% of materials are diverted from the landfill through recycle, compost and reuse.

With the help of Keep Charleston Beautiful, the CSD achieved 93% of materials being diverted, which is 6,547 pounds. That 93% diversion rate could not have been achieved without advance planning and close collaboration with vendors regarding the products selected for use at the event. Reusable items, like glassware, are a big plus. Compostable service wear, such as bamboo plates and cutlery, ensure they can be composted with food scraps. Developing a plan for surplus food and materials means that any leftovers will be utilized. In this case, the 330.5 pounds of food went to One80 Place, a local homeless shelter. 

The College’s food service company, Charleston Culinary Group, serves as an excellent partner for zero-waste events. The group already has a dynamic composting program at the College’s dining halls and utilizes compostable service wear. The Alumni Association also provided strong support in making A Charleston Affair a zero-waste event through their collaboration and prudent purchasing.

The zero-waste success of A Charleston Affair serves as an example of how the College can achieve its goal of being a zero-waste institution by 2035.

Anyone interested in getting support from the Center for Sustainable Development may complete a work order on The Hub utilizing the sustainability button.