5 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable on Campus (While Still Living Your Best College Life)

Starting college is a fresh start—but it’s also a chance to build habits that actually align with your values. If you care about sustainability (or just hate wasting stuff), here are five easy ways to make your dorm life a little greener without doing the most. Comfort? Check. Convenience? Check. Good for the planet? Absolutely.

1. Make Laundry Smarter: Detergent Sheets + Dryer Balls
Lugging a plastic detergent jug across your dorm or (worse) across campus? Hard pass. Detergent sheets are lightweight, mess-free, and easy to stash in a tote or drawer. Add some wool dryer balls to cut drying time, reduce energy use, and skip single-use dryer sheets.

🧺 More space in your laundry bag, less money spent over time. Plus – over 1 billion plastic detergent jugs are thrown away in the U.S. each year—and most don’t get recycled. Dryer balls can also cut drying time by 25–30%, which saves energy and your clothes.

2. Carry a Reusable Mug (You’ll Actually Use It)
Whether you're hustling to class or camped out at the library, a reusable mug is a game-changer. It keeps your coffee or matcha hot for hours, cuts down on single-use waste, and most campus cafés will happily fill it—some even offer a discount.

☕ The average student uses over 100 disposable cups a year—and most aren’t recyclable. Switching to a reusable mug? Small habit, big impact. Plus, you’ll always look (and feel) one step ahead.

3. Dorm Decor? Go Secondhand First
Instead of buying everything new, hit up local thrift shops, Facebook Marketplace, or your school’s “free & for sale” page. You’ll save cash, find cooler stuff, and keep furniture and decor from ending up in the trash.

🪑 Pro tip: See if your school hosts a student-run flea market or has a program where you can snag dorm essentials left behind from previous students.
👉 Good to know: The U.S. generates over 12 million tons of furniture waste annually. Choosing secondhand helps keep perfectly usable items out of landfills—and gives your space more character. 

4. Start a Mini Zero-Waste Kit
Toss a tote bag, reusable utensils, and a food container in your backpack or room. It’ll save you from grabbing disposables every time there’s free food on the quad or a late-night snack run.

🎒 Less waste, more wins. You’re already doing great.
👉 Worth knowing: Just one reusable tote bag can replace 700+ plastic bags over its lifetime.

5. Turn Old Tees Into a Blanket (Yes, Seriously)
You don’t have to bring all your high school memories to college—but that doesn’t mean you have to forget them. A t-shirt blanket lets you keep the stories from your old tees alive in a way that actually fits your new life. It’s perfect for your dorm bed, made from your own clothes, and saves those shirts from sitting in a dusty bin at home (or worse, a landfill).

🧶 Comfort meets nostalgia—and it’s 100% you.
👉 Reality check: While it feels good to donate, an estimated 84% of donated clothes still end up in landfills or incinerators. Turning your tees into a quilt keeps them out of the waste cycle—and gives them a second life with meaning.

🎁 Bonus: Know someone starting a new chapter? Our gift cards make it easy to give the gift of lasting memories.

Don't let your memories fade – preserve your shirts with Project Repat now!