MORGANTOWN—As West Virginia University students are packing up and community members are in the midst of spring cleaning, WVU offers a way to keep belongings out of landfills.
For more than a decade, the Blue and Gold Mine Sale has provided students and community members an opportunity to donate usable items in good condition. This includes clothing items, home goods and furniture.
“We wanted to be able to divert that waste from landfills and have it do something good in the community,” said Traci Knabenshue, WVU sustainability director.
Donated items are then sold to the public during the event. The sale is intended to encourage sustainable living habits as well as fundraise for the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties.
This year’s sale is set for May 15. From 7-8:30 a.m., a $5 admission fee allows shoppers to get early-bird access to the event. Free admission will be held from 8:30 a.m.-noon.
For $20, shoppers can also purchase an all-you-can-fit bag. Any items that fit can be kept for no additional charge.
This year’s sale will not be held at the Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, due to the WVU graduation ceremonies. Instead, it will be held at the event tent on the south side of Bennett Tower on the Evansdale campus. Free parking will be available.
Donations for the event will be accepted through May 12 at four drop-off locations. These are on Grant Avenue near Summit Hall, at the top of Falling Run Road, the Mountaineer Station parking lot and at Chateau Royale apartment rentals near Irwin Street. CRT televisions, computer monitors, mattresses and box springs are not accepted.
Knabenshue said the idea for the event came to be after the university saw a need for a sustainable alternative to students throwing items away when moving off campus. She said each year, the event has kept about 25 tons of goods out of landfills and helps keep the city clean.
“Those items that we collect are perfectly usable, and we don’t want to see them go to the landfill,” she said. “Also, the crush of move-out on campus and in the city of Morgantown creates a lot of waste everywhere. We keep our streets a little bit cleaner by offering this avenue for students and community members to be able to donate.”
Throughout the history of the event, WVU has raised more than $185,000 for the United Way. This funding is used to allocate grants to community organizations in need.
“Eventually, it comes right back to the community,” said Servando Arredondo, United Way engagement manager.
Even unsold items won’t go to waste, as these items are then distributed to the United Way’s partner agencies. These agencies include the nonprofit organization Christian Help and the Ranch Community Store.
WVU is continuing to take COVID-19 pandemic precautions seriously. Despite the event being outdoors, all visitors will be required to wear masks. Social distancing will also be enforced, and hand sanitizer will be available for guests.
The event is also still looking for volunteers to help on days leading up to the event as well as during the sale. Volunteer information can be found by visiting volunteermpc.org.
More information about the sale as well as information about free parking can be found at bluegoldmine.wvu.edu.
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