Duke University Student Housing Resident Rescues $6,000 Worth of Luxury Items from Trash

A resident of an apartment building inhabited by students from Duke University has managed to rescue luxury items worth $6,000 that were discarded by the students.

Lena Geller lives in a building in downtown Durham, where most Duke University students rent apartments. She mentioned that at the end of each academic year, many students throw out their furniture.

Initially, Geller discovered a small acrylic table. She took it home, researched its online value, and found out that it was priced at $900.

Additionally, she frequently checks a space downstairs where students typically leave unwanted electronics. “It’s during this time, each year before graduation, that you can find dozens of vacuums, stainless steel trash cans of all imaginable shapes and sizes, mattresses, mirrors, and so many luxury items that any reseller would be overjoyed,” she said.

In that area, Geller came across Balenciaga slides valued at $395, Valentino sneakers worth $980, and over $1,000 worth of Lululemon athletic wear.

“The sheer volume of valuable, usable items that are discarded is mind-blowing, especially when it comes to clothing with tags still attached and unopened, unexpired food,” the apartment resident expressed her astonishment.

Geller mentioned that the apartment manager is supportive of her efforts.

She has created spreadsheets to track the prices and brands of the items she kept, donated, or sold, adding up to about $6,000 in total value. In another spreadsheet, she compares Duke’s donation data with that of other universities to determine if this phenomenon is widespread across college towns. As part of Duke’s «Devils Care» donation initiative, over 14,500 kg of items have been collected. The university places donation bins in every dorm on campus as well as in off-campus housing, and Duke students living off-campus can schedule pick-ups for large or bulky items.

In contrast, Rice University, which runs the “Give a Hoot! Donate Your Loot!” campaign that won a national award in Texas, reported collecting around 5,000 kg of “durable goods” from its students.

Geller stated that she also uses some of the luxury items she has found in the trash. For instance, she swapped her old blanket for one she discovered, learning that it was worth over $200 and of higher quality.

She emphasized that she isn’t able to save everything—sometimes stains on shoes just won’t come out, and toasters still fail to work after cleaning.

Ultimately, she concluded that even though her apartment is already filled with these items, some of them end up being quite useful. For example, Geller was able to put a small handheld vacuum to good use, which turned out to be perfect for cleaning hard-to-reach spots.