Students, do you like free stuff and believe in reducing waste?
Do you like free stuff and believe in reducing waste? Come by the Free Store Pop-up and pick up some useful items this month, free of charge.
Ever experienced the thrill of finding a cool piece of furniture or household item curbside or at your fave thrift store? What if I told you that a treasure trove of secondhand items, curated for students, is up for grabs, for FREE (yes, that’s right, absolutely free!) as part of the Sustainability Office’s Free Store Pop-up event from January 9 to 20.
This event is a one-stop shop for TMU students to take home up to three secondhand items. These include small furniture items, office supplies, electronics, home decor, kitchen supplies, board games, clothing, books and more.
The Free Store event during Orientation Week 2022 offered students a chance to pick up household items, clothing and more, all for free.
Bonus! You can get an extra item if you take the sustainability pledge or sign-up to learn more about the sustainability ambassador program!
Save your money and minimize your footprint
The Free Store is one way that TMU supports sustainability by helping to reduce landfill waste, contributing to the circular economy and supporting a zero-waste culture on campus. This initiative also helps to provide equitable access to basic household items to those who need them.
“Aside from providing items to our students that they need at no cost, the environmental and social impact is so important,” says Sharmilla Raj, engagement lead at the Sustainability Office. “We're hoping that the Free Store will help shift away from a throw-away culture and encourage our community to rethink their purchasing decisions to reduce and reuse instead."
The week-long event during Orientation Week last fall saw 2,540 items rehomed, diverting 1,266 lbs of stuff from landfills. A total of 3,441 students visited the pop-up, snagging items like working iPads, a mini fridge, vintage items, school supplies and much more.
Frugality is fun
First-year medical physics student Brienna Solas and former Sustainability Office ambassador attended two separate Free Store Pop-up events where she snatched up a very practical plastic drawer organizer for her stationary items, a grab-and-go utensil travel case containing a fork, knife and spoon for student commute life and the perfect picture frame.
“I had a poster at home that I didn't want to put a hole in because it was very valuable,” says Solas. “I took home this big frame I found at the Free Store and it was exactly the right size. It saved me a lot of money.”
Many international students were also able to take advantage of the Free Store after having just arrived in the city and shared with organizers how the useful finds helped them get set up.
Get your secondhand scores
The TMU Free Store is a pop-up store dedicated to helping TMU students reduce their environmental impact and save money.
The thrill of the hunt, and the find, can be yours to experience. Check out the Free Store Pop-up from Monday, January 9 to Friday, January 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at VIC 403, (excluding weekends) while quantities last.
Make a donation:
To make donations, drop off gently used items anytime using the bin located in VIC, 8th floor. For large or fragile items please contact the Sustainability Office directly at sustainability@torontomu.ca.