New2U is your sustainable campus waste reduction program and thrift store.
It's run by students and faculty, and it's supported by Facilities & Campus Services and other campus partners. New2U includes programs like our Move-Out Collection and Move-In Tag Sale. Volunteers and campus staff collect unwanted items like clothing, futons, lamps, and TVs during Move-Out and resell these items during a Move-In tag sale.
New2U has been around for more than a decade. Through it, we've been able to divert over 100,000 pounds of items from being sent to a landfill.
In our new permanent location in Hampden Dining Commons, New2U has sold thousands of new or gently used items back to students, faculty, and staff at affordable prices.
10th Annual New2U Tag Sale
The 10th Annual New2U Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, August 30, 2025! Follow Sustainable UMass on Instagram (@umass_sustain) for details and announcements.
The 9th Annual New2U Tag Sale took place on Saturday, August 31, 2024. Over 3,000 students attended the one-day tag sale. All proceeds were used for New2U operations and transitional expenses for our move into a year-round thrift store, which opened in February 2024.
New2U Thrift Store Closed for Summer
The New2U Thrift Store, located in Hampden Commons 205, is closed for the summer.
The store will reopen this fall after the 10th Annual New2U Tag Sale on Saturday, August 30.
Store Hours: W–F: 1–5 p.m., and Sat: 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Continue reading for details about donations.
Here's What We're Into
Take a look at our list of accepted items to get an idea of what we can and can't take.
Small and Medium Items
Anything that you can easily carry can be brought to Hampden lobby and placed in the donation box Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Take care when placing fragile items in the donation box!
Large Items or Items in Quantity
For large items like furniture and appliances or anything in large quantities (e.g., 60 binders, a dozen chairs), please complete our donation form. Our team will reach out within 48 hours to confirm acceptance of items and provide further instructions.
Departmental Donations
Do you have items to rehome from your UMass Amherst department, program, or office? Please email Laurie Simmons to determine suitability and next steps. Any institutional furniture should be donated to UMass Amherst's Surplus Furniture program.
Getting Your Items to Us
Hampden lobby will be open to receive donations on weekdays from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Pickup of large items may be arranged on a case-by-case basis after reviewing your completed donation form. However, item pickup cannot be guaranteed.
Spring 2025 Move-Out Collection
The 2025 New2U Move-Out Collection took place on May 12–19.
Donations will be stored, sorted, cleaned, and tested throughout the summer months by paid student workers and then sold at the New2U Move-In Tag Sale on Saturday, August 30. Items that cannot be resold are donated to local community survival centers, thrift stores, or trashed (last resort). Foam mattress toppers and textiles are donated to recycling vendor partners. Foam mattress toppers are turned into carpet pads.
You can donate your clothing, linens, and shoes on campus throughout the summer to the Bay State Textiles boxes, located in Brooks Hall in the Central Residential Area and Hampden Dining Commons in the Southwest Residential Area year-round.
Get Involved with New2U
Are you a part of a club, RSO, or other student group? Collab with us!
The New2U Thrift Store is more than just a shop—it’s a hub for creativity, sustainability, and community engagement. We’re excited to partner with campus clubs and organizations to host events that align with your mission while bringing students together.
Whether it’s a pop-up market, DIY workshops, sustainability panels, or themed events, we’d love to collaborate and create something unique for the UMass community. Let’s work together to make an impact and highlight the amazing talent and initiatives on campus! Interested? Fill out the form here or scan the QR code, and contact us via email with any questions!
Artist and Vendor Inquiry
Are you an on-campus artist or vendor? Do you paint, collage, create, build, or sew? Are you looking for fabric and other materials to support your business? If so, we'd love to support you!
We're looking to spotlight local artists in the store, as well as provide resources at discounted rates. In addition to spotlights, we are also creating a catalog of student-artists and vendors for year-round exposure.
At the end of every month, we will host exclusive Re-Donation Days, where unsold items and unacceptable donations will be available for free or at discounted prices. Instead of disposing of these materials and creating waste, we would love for artists to reuse as many of the materials as they can!
New2U is looking for thrift store volunteers!
New2U is hiring unpaid volunteer positions for spring '25 storefront operations. Apply on UMass Handshake: Search Job#9493310 for volunteer positions.
History of New2U
In 2013, Campus Sustainability Fellows saw just how much waste can be generated when over 13,000 students move out at the end of each year. At the time, most of the items that were being thrown in a dumpster were only lightly used, or even new! A dedicated group of student sustainability leaders decided they must create an innovative solution to this problem, and so the idea of New2U was born.
The program is organized by students and sustainability staff and is a collaboration among student leadership, the Office of Waste Management, Moving Services, and New Student and Family Programs. The program initially received planning assistance from the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), a nonprofit that helps students create zero-waste solutions on college campuses. Proceeds from the sales are used to fund future New2U events and are being added to the Sustainability, Innovation, and Engagement Fund.
Sustainability Fellow and New2U Store Manager