As the 2022-23 academic school year comes to an end, the Isla Vista Community Services District is preparing for the amount of waste generated from students moving out.

Every year, year-end moving out generates about 1 million pounds of waste to be collected, the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) said in a press release. The waste largely consists of items such as clothing, unwanted and reusable goods, furniture and pounds of canned and packaged goods.

“I have lived through several ‘move-outs’ here in Isla Vista. I know firsthand how disruptive, stressful, and wasteful this time of year can be,” IVCSD Isla Vista Beautiful Program Manager Jenna Norton said in the press release. 

IVCSD will pilot a variety of new projects to address the waste generated by move out in I.V., according to a press release.

Such initiatives include a community-wide yard sale set to take place on May 27, a doorstep pick-up service of any unwanted items and a food drive to collect unwanted non-perishable items to donate back into the community. 

To facilitate further waste pickup, the County of Santa Barbara partnered with MarBorg, a waste collection and management company. Starting the week before graduation and continuing for about two weeks, MarBorg trash trucks will be in I.V. daily to collect bulky items and other discarded materials from the curbside as well as empty trash and recycling bins. 

“While we may not see immediate change, I believe that consistency in education and the opportunity to rid of unwanted items throughout the years will change the culture of ‘move out,’” Norton said in the release.  

IVCSD has a webpage dedicated to all information and other move-out resources, including local storage facilities, donation sites, how to dispose, sustainable move-out tips and local contact information. 

A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the May 18, 2023, print edition of the Daily Nexus.