UC Riverside students can expand their wardrobes while reducing waste through a new sustainability program.

At a thrift swap on Dec. 4, a constant flow of students browsed through tables and racks of clothes, shoes, books, and other items at the Pentland Bear Cave. The evening event attracted 71 attendees and moved more than 100 items during a two-hour span.

“All in all, it was incredibly successful especially considering how close to finals week it is,” said Rebecca Leung, a California Climate Action Corps fellow in UCR’s Office of Sustainability who organized the event.

The thrift swap was the first sponsored by the office and aimed particularly at students living in campus housing.

It was a test run for more such events that will be held quarterly and invite more groups to participate, said Francis Mitalo, sustainability program specialist. The hope is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills while also providing students a convenient way to shop for free clothes, he said.

At the end of each quarter, and especially when students move out before summer, the dumpsters at the residence halls are filled with clothing and other belongings. Many students, especially those traveling far, can’t take everything home and end up throwing them away instead, said Leung, whose focus is on zero waste.

“I wanted to give them a more accessible place to donate their clothes,” she said.

Leung collected 200 pieces of clothing prior to the event and items such as hangers with donations from the National Residence Halls Honorary, an international group representing college residence hall students. Attendees were also welcome to bring donations although were not required to and could take what they like.

The swap included racks of dresses and blouses, a table full of jeans, shoes, bags, and even books. 

“We have a wide variety of clothing and styles,” Leung said. “There’s something for everyone.”

Third-year students Kathy Le and Jade Fears were among the students browsing through clothes. They said they liked having a thrift swap on campus.

“It’s definitely more convenient than having to drive to Goodwill,” Fears said. “I’m finding lots of good stuff.”

Green Campus Action Plan, or GCAP, a student-run program, has held smaller thrift swaps quarterly since 2022 at locations including the bell tower and has had success, said Ellen Nguyen, vice president of sustainability for GCAP. 

They’ve done well with trendy or popular brands as well as high-quality basics like denim and leather favored by students, she said. They usually get more female than male clothes with people often swapping T-shirts, blouses, and dress shirts, she said.

GCAP will be among the groups invited to participate in future Office of Sustainability events.

The thrift swap continues efforts by the office promoting zero waste programs in a variety of ways from reducing waste at dining venues to encouraging recycling to eliminating single-use plastic bottles, Mitalo said.