Bowdoin College
IN-47: Innovation A

The campus services and logistics office manages the Mail Center and the Office Supply Reuse Shop. The Mail Center has instituted multiple innovative practices to reduce incoming waste and increase the number of materials that can be reused on campus. Through a program to recapture waste from inbound mail, the Mail Center repurposes used packages for outbound mail to provide to students and staff for free use. The Mail Center is partnered with the Bowdoin Store and ships out all of the Bowdoin Store’s packages. The Mail Center has not had to purchase packing materials in two years because of its reuse program, and the Bowdoin Store uses 90-95 percent reused packing materials because of this campus services initiative.

In 2022, the Mail Center started working with Waste-Free Mail to reduce incoming junk mail. The Mail Center sends junk mail to Waste-Free Mail, and this company works with the Bowdoin Mail Center to unsubscribe students from junk mail. We plan on reducing 90 percent of incoming junk mail through this program.

The Office Supply Reuse Shop is a space for faculty and staff to pick up supplies in good condition that have been donated by students, faculty, or staff. The supplies range from writing utensils and paper to speakers, pencil sharpeners, calculators and labels. There are supplies for faculty and staff working in all areas of the College. This space has a supply that is constantly changing as people donate and pick up items. The Office Supply Reuse Shop supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically “responsible consumption and production.” Providing a resource for faculty and staff to get items they need for their work reduces waste and encourages them to think about their consumption.

The purpose of the Office Supply Reuse Shop is to give unwanted items a new home. This means that items that are no longer needed are saved from going to landfill. This also means that supplies that are needed do not have to be bought—this saves both money and items from being created and eventually disposed of. Between 2019 and 2022, it was estimated that $4,605 worth of items were taken from the shop. This number is likely an underestimate because not all items were logged. The money saved also represents just how many items were not thrown away or had to be purchased, which is saving those items from eventual waste. Altogether, the Office Supply Reuse Shop has helped many staff and faculty participate in reducing our carbon footprint.