This story was updated on July 8, 2025, to reflect the spring 2025 move-out waste diversion rates.
The end of the spring semester is a time of excitement as students celebrate a year of studies and say their goodbyes before heading off for summer vacation. However, as with any type of move, this time of year produces a significant accumulation of waste. Navigating such an event requires careful consideration of logistics and planning to ensure clarity, safety, and success each year. To reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, Building Services and Sustainability team members work closely together annually to plan the logistics and collection methods of waste and unwanted goods from every residence hall. Enter Andre Bowman and his team in Building Services, who are at the forefront of managing the mass exodus each year to execute pick-up services.
Andre has been at Notre Dame for over ten years, specifically with Building Services for the last nine years, and currently serves the University as a recycling supervisor. In his role, he supports the University’s waste diversion efforts, focusing on waste collection systems while minimizing landfill waste, including: maximizing recycling, tracking recycling programs, and educating custodial staff about proper waste disposal. Andre’s recycling team is actively on the ground every day to distribute recycling toters and pick up cardboard carts across campus, as well as deploy donation carts and conduct pick-ups during the move-out season. Andre also works with other departments and groups on campus to contribute to Notre Dame’s long-term goal of reducing its environmental impact.
This work is greatly impacted by the success of move-out, which has improved year over year, steadily advancing collection processes and increasing the number of materials kept out of landfills via additional donation stations and increased recycling opportunities. As of 2023, indoor donation bins became available for the first time to streamline the collection of smaller items like clothes, books, bedding, and lamps. While larger items like couches and rugs still have to be placed on lawns for pick-up, collecting donations has become more fluid, and indoor bins protect more donations from the elements and allow students to begin sorting their items earlier than normal. In 2024, additional collection boxes were implemented to gather usable school supplies for the Robinson Community Learning Center. Last year, Andre and his team collected 314 pounds of school supplies, 44 tons of Goodwill donations, and 40 bikes for Hope Ministries in South Bend. As of spring 2025, 38,950 pounds of materials were donated to Goodwill, and over a ton of food was donated to the Food Bank—equivalent to 1,579 meals.
Beyond the move-out season, Andre is passionate about reducing landfill waste across many fronts. Being the recycling supervisor, he sees our campus waste habits daily. “I would recommend that the campus community engage more actively in reducing single-use plastics,” says Andre. “By using reusable containers, water bottles, and bags, we could dramatically reduce the volume of plastic waste generated each year. A simple shift in mindset towards reusable items can make a significant difference. Additionally, promoting the use of reusable materials in campus events and dining areas can further reduce waste and help us build a more sustainable environment overall.”
Learn more about move-out processes by visiting green.nd.edu/move-out.
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