Couches, lamps, computers, desks and mattresses are just some of the items left in and around dumpsters both on and off campus.
Jeya Selbaratnam, a resident of a privately-owned apartment complex off Nicholson Drive, said he often sees people rummaging through the dumpsters looking for valuable items.
“I see people going through it all the time,” Selbaratnam said. “Just the other day, I saw a … guy going through it, and I’ve seen other people go through it too.”
However, Betty Williams, Azalea Point Apartment manager, said residents in her complex do not often leave itmes in dumpsters.
“We have tidy people,” Williams said. “Anytime people move they’ll leave things behind, but it’s not a problem for me.”
Mimi Lavalle, Residential Life communications director, said on-campus residents often leave smaller items such as laundry detergent and clothes hangers in dumpsters.
Sandra Betts, Herget Hall residential life coordinator, said residents often leave behind items, such as jewelry, clothing and purses, in the dorm rooms.
Betts said Residential Life used to tag the items for a month in case the resident returned to retrieve them, but now too many items are left behind for that to be done.
“If something looks like it might be important, we hang on to it,” Betts said. “Otherwise, it gets thrown away.”
Kristy Hall, a Waste Management employee, said Waste Management picks up only items inside the dumpsters, not large items left next to them.
Lavalle cautioned students against going “dumpster diving” and said police patrols would be enacted next semester to prevent students from looking for valuable items.
“You just never know what’s in there, and it can be dangerous,” Lavalle said.