Jun 01, 2006 - Claremont, Calif. -

Rather than trash more than 700 pieces of used dorm room furniture, Harvey Mudd College recently donated them to impoverished citizens of El Salvador.

In collaboration with the Institution Recycling Network (IRN), the college recycled beds, dressers, desks, chairs and couches from Case Dormitory – a whopping shipment weighing in at just over 21 tons.

"You either throw this stuff away or you donate it," said Tom Shaffer, plant engineer with HMC's facilities and maintenance department. "So, this worked out for everyone."

Recycling items for reuse elsewhere also helps avoid landfill and expensive landfill costs, Shaffer noted.

IRN, established in 1999 and headquartered in New Hampshire, began working with HMC last year after Hurricane Katrina. The company hauled away two tractor-trailers filled with furniture from Linde Dormitory and delivered them to Gulf Coast homes and businesses devastated by the disaster.

"With a program like this everyone wins in the end," said Shaffer, who put IRN in contact with the rest of the Claremont Consortium for other possible collaborations. "We're hoping the construction project in HMC's Parsons Engineering Building may soon provide an opportunity to recycle building materials."