Reuse & Surplus

Reuse is important to Villanova University because it supports our commitment to stewardship, reduces waste, and extends the life of valuable materials. By choosing reuse, from furniture and office supplies to student move-out donations, we conserve resources, lower environmental impact, and strengthen a campus culture rooted in care for our common home and the common good.

Reuse is even more important than recycling because it keeps products in use longer without the energy or emissions required to break materials down and remake them, reducing waste at the source. It also strengthens the social fabric of a community by supporting donation networks, sharing programs, and resource exchanges that help students, staff, and local partners access what they need more affordably. In this way, reuse delivers both environmental and social benefits that recycling alone cannot.

ShareNova

The ShareNova initiative aims to promote a sharing economy at Villanova University grounded in the Augustinian way of living. ShareNova focuses on optimizing the use of assets such as office supplies, vehicles, space, and time. We can reduce our purchasing and waste generation by exploring opportunities to share resources within the community.

Reuse Programs at Villanova University:

Some external partners of Villanova's Waste & Recycling Program who support campus reuse:

• Teacher's Teammates: collecting surplus school and office supplies to support underresourced school teachers.
• Philadelphia Furniture Bank/Pathways to Housing:  Provides housing and furnishings to people transitioning from homelessness
• PC's For People: Provides low-cost computers and internet to individuals, families, and non-profits with low income
• Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties
• Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard:  Food bank for local residents facing food insecurity
• Helpsy:  Textile reuse/recycling
• GreenDrop
• Classroom Donations International