A service that provides free used textbooks, binders, and school supplies to students is available on the UNB Saint John campus thanks to the Green Society.
Located in the Thomas J. Condon Student Centre next to The Baron’s office, the Freecycle Store is open weekdays from 9:30 A.M. until 3:30 P.M.
The Freecycle Store, operated by the Green Society, began offering its services in 2012. The store holds a huge amount of supplies from textbooks to household goods.
“It’s a great resource for students on a tight budget to leave what they no longer need and take what they do,” says Marija Veljanovska, president of the Green Society.
The exchange service began in 2012 with the intention to reduce waste amongst students living in residence.
“It was clear that students (and probably also staff) at UNBSJ tended to throw out many household goods at the end of the term even if they were usable, because it was inconvenient to have to transport them off-
campus.”
Veljanovska says the Freecycle Store has received positive feedback from the student body, but cautions students that, of course, certain items tend to be picked up quickly. “School supplies are always popular, and every once in awhile someone will drop off a current textbook, which will then be subsequently snapped up in no-time. I suspect there are a handful of students who check regularly for things.”
The popularity of this room is not surprising given the high prices of textbooks. The College Board reports that students should budget approximately $1,250 a year for textbooks and supplies.
Veljanovska encourages students, particularly students that have visited the room in the past, to contribute to the room by dropping off anything they are not using.
“Anything that students no longer need [such as] used textbooks, clothing, china, school supplies, furniture, etc. can be dropped off for other students who may need such items to come and pick them up!”
