From 68 Pasado to 65 Segovia, the Isla Vista Community Services District helped residents organize yard sales to sell unwanted items ahead of the end of the academic year. Held on May 31, a central yard sale was also held at the Isla Vista Community Center with over a dozen people selling old clothes, furniture and other items.

This was the third annual IVCSD community yard sale, with 17 garages and 125 people participating across Isla Vista. Levi Kauffman / Daily Nexus

According to IVCSD Public Works & Sustainability Director Jenna Norton, this was the third annual Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) community yard sale, with 17 garages and 125 people participating across Isla Vista.

According to the IVCSD website, about 1 million pounds of waste is generated during move-out season in Isla Vista each year. Norton said students moving out at the end of the school year also puts a lot of strain on the community.

“Everybody knows that move-out is a disaster here,” Norton said. “Not only is there trash and litter all over the streets, not only is it unenjoyable to walk or drive or bike around at this time, but it could be dangerous and it’s also extremely wasteful.”

IVCSD promotes various ways for locals to get rid of unwanted items such as a year-round donation pickup service, the community yard sale and the GIVE Benefit Sale. They also offer online guides for dealing with bulky items and electronic waste and suggest sending items to the landfill only as a last resort.

Norton emphasized that the IVCSD pushes for sustainability considering events like the yard sale and hopes that community members will take more responsibility in keeping I.V. clean during move out.

“With this move-out initiative, we’re trying to spread the word that we need to be responsible for the community and the environment [and] people need to be planning ahead,” Norton said. “It means bringing items home early, maybe on Memorial Day weekend or during spring break, find[ing] storage early and then also mak[ing] sure that you’re donating usable items.”

Fourth-year financial mathematics and statistics double major Sunaina Karunakaran and fourth-year actuarial science major Jayna Patel sold old clothes and furniture at the main yard sale at the Community Center. Karunakaran stated she was happy to sell old items she no longer uses to give them a second life.

“It’s just nice to know that a lot of my old belongings, things I’ve loved so much, are going to another person rather than just a landfill,” Karunakaran said.

Patel also noted how much easier it was to sell things at the yard sale rather than online.

“It’s also such a hassle dealing with selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace and through other avenues that this is a really convenient way to sell stuff and not have to deal with organizing a pickup location or anything like that,” Patel said.

Fourth-year biology major Aidan Dsouza came to the yard sale looking for clothes and small decorations. He praised the organization of the event and enjoyed that there were various yard sales across Isla Vista.

“I think the organization and effort that went into this was insanely thoughtful,” Dsouza said. “It was really cool because you could just walk down I.V., and especially as someone that’s graduating, it’s really nice.”

Norton hopes the yard sale brought people together before move-out and that they will continue to buy and sell otherwise unwanted items.

“I just want people to feel a sense of community,” Norton said. “I hope that this is a fun time for [people] to bond with their friends and housemates who they might not see after the next few weeks, and I hope that people are able to make some money, get rid of stuff that otherwise they wouldn’t have really had a place for.”