What is SWAPR?
SWAPR (short for Stop Waste And Promote Reuse) is Vassar’s annual move-out waste reduction effort. It began in 1998 with former athletics trainer Leonard Angellini, but after a year or two, Angellini approached the then College Committee of Sustainability and Professor Jeff Walker to help recruit volunteers.
Clothes, books, and other items that students are looking to get rid of are collected and brought into the Kenyon Gym which becomes the SWAPR hub for a good part of the month of May. Students and community members can then look through the donated items.
Any items that are left at the end of the donation drive are donated to community organizations. A special effort is made to enable local nonprofits such as Hudson Housing and Dutchess Outreach to get the things that they can distribute. In 2023, SWAPR helped divert over 1.5 tons of clothes and bedding from landfills.
SWAPR in the MISC:
- Vassar works toward carbon neutrality by 2030, September 2023, The Miscellany News
- SWAPR prepares for coming furniture ban, April 2012, The Miscellany News
- SWAPR volunteers help others save cash, May 2003, The Miscellany News
Our Partners
Dutchess Welcoming Committee
River haven youth shelter
Seventh Day Adventist Food Pantry and Closet (Spanish Community Center)
Acts of Kindness
