Reusable mugs and glasses

Bottles Up

As a collaborative effort between Zero Waste and the Student Sustainability Center, the Bottles Up program collects and redistributes reusable water bottles and travel mugs to students and faculty for free. Zero Waste collects lost and forgotten water bottles from around campus, gives them to us, and we then wash them and put them out for redistribution to students through our office. A well-known operation, we collect and give out more than 1,000 bottles a year.​

SSC Reusables (Reusable Dishware Program)

In an effort to reduce waste from takeout containers and single-use cups in the EMU, this new program provides reusable mugs, tumblers, pint glasses, and silverware for students and faculty on campus. Check out silverware or dishware, use it for up to three hours, and bring it right back to us. Once you bring it back to us, we’ll wash it and take care of everything. We also offer bundles of dishware, glasses, and silverware to student organizations on campus hosting events that would normally use plastic or styrofoam plates and silverware.

Fix-It Fairs

Fix It Fairs are events where students can have their broken household objects, technology, and clothing repaired—keeping them out of landfills. These events are aimed at changing student attitudes and behaviors surrounding repair and throw-away culture. Repair enthusiasts and professionals come together to show and teach you how to repair the products you already have. Fix It Fairs work toward long-term behavior change, empowering participants by teaching them the ropes to attempt at-home repairs for their broken items, instead of throwing them away and buying new ones.

Grad-to-Grad Gown Share

Grad-to-Grad Gown Share is a program that helps offset the costs of graduation by collecting graduation gowns from recent graduates and redistributing them to the next year’s graduates for free. While students still have to buy the other regalia necessary for graduation, this is a great way to help students with graduation costs and keep gowns from sitting in students’ closets for years. These gowns will need to be returned after graduation for the next year’s graduating class.

For more information or to get involved, email us at sscreusables@uoregon.edu.