New2U Thrift Store Earns 2025 Campus Race to Zero Waste Case Study Competition Title

The success of the New2U Thrift Store has led to UMass Amherst being named winner in the Waste Diversion category of the 2025 Campus Race to Zero Waste Case Study Competition.

The New2U Thrift Store expands upon the success of the New2U Move-out Reuse program, which is now in its 10^th year, by advancing year-round waste diversion and circular consumption through student-powered, zero-waste innovation. The thrift store represents a significant leap in campus zero-waste efforts, allowing students and community members to donate and purchase gently used items throughout the academic year. New2U Thrift is an effort to combat the unnecessary waste of useful items beyond the move-in and move-out periods while building pathways for collaboration and community engagement in circularity.

Since opening in February 2025, the store has become an epicenter of sustainability engagement and hosting zero-waste events, including a donation drive for the Alianza Domestic Violence Shelter, a pop-up New2U Thrift Store at the annual Earth Day Extravaganza, and a collaborative bike repair workshop with the UMass Bike Coop.

New2U Thrift Store was also awarded a Campus Climate Improvement grant through the Office of Equity and Inclusion to develop and launch a wellness series for the 2025/26 academic year.

Campus Race to Zero Waste - formerly known as RecycleMania - is the nation's premier waste reduction and recycling competition among colleges and universities, managed and governed by RecycleMania, Inc. Campus Race to Zero Waste has been helping campuses minimize waste and improve their recycling efforts since its launch in 2001.

More information about the New2U Thrift Store can be found on the New2U website and by following @new2u.umass on Instagram.