New program helps sun to SET on waste

Let’s say that your office has 300 white binders with the ASU logo on the front. They were leftover from a conference, and you’re not planning another conference for a long time to come.

You don’t want to throw them away, but they can’t be recycled. So what should you do with them?

Put them on ASU’s newly debuted version of “Craigslist” – SunSET.

SunSET –Sun (Devils) Surplus Exchange and Transfer – is a new way for ASU departments to re-use office supplies, lab supplies, some types of furniture or other un-needed items, while reducing the university's waste handling costs.

It’s a simple process. You need something, put up a note. You have a surplus, put up a note. Make a deal and pass the goods along.

“The primary focus of the site is for items that are readily reused, but provide greater benefit to the University by reusing them rather than disposing of or selling them,” says John Chapman, systems analyst associate for Business Applications and Fiscal Control.

“This includes office supplies, office furniture, specialty lab equipment that can be reused on campus, etc. Items that are commonly sent to Surplus Property and provide a greater benefit by selling them will not be included, such as computers and most furniture.”

Obviously, Chapman says, items that are leased or don’t belong to ASU cannot be posted on SunSET. Items with an ASU property control asset tag can be transferred when paperwork is filed with Property Control.

The idea for SunSET originated with Bonny Bentzin, ASU’s director of university sustainability practice, and Kerry Suson, director of Surplus Properties.

“We've been floating the idea for a while but the timing wasn’t right,” Bentzin says. “About six months ago I was at a meeting with Jeremy Gonzalez, chair of the University Staff Council Sustainability Committee, and the idea came up again and things fell into place.”

After five months of planning, the Web site was rolled out for testing on July 1. Departments can use it while the kinks are being worked out.

The Web site is designed to take care of items that are too small to be sent to Surplus Property. “The tendency for departments is to throw items like binders or small office supplies in the trash. While Surplus can still pick these items up, we would be happy to see the items go to use in other areas of the university,” says Suson.

“With this new option, it will be up to the departments to transfer the goods they want to donate and they can support the university as a whole. We will use the honor system – are you abiding by the property control rules?”

Bentzin says the idea is to reduce waste tonnage fees at ASU, and to help the university along on its path toward sustainability.

Though ASU has been planning SunSET for months, another school actually was the first to inaugurate such a program, Bentzin said. “The University of Florida rolled out one last week.”

The Web site is primarily sponsored by Surplus Property and Purchasing, with further support from the Global Institute of Sustainability.

SunSET may be accessed at  https://ubs.sp10.asu.edu/sites/sunset/default.aspx.