As July turns to August, and August to September, slowly but surely the streets between University and Parc come out of a summer hibernation. Each year, over seven thousand undergraduate students begin their studies at McGill, with 52 per cent of the incoming class arriving from out of province. Over 2,800 first-year students live in one of the 14 residences minutes from campus, while for many upper year students, the return to campus means moving into an apartment. When leases start in May and September, U-hauls and cardboard boxes litter the streets. As exciting as it is to step foot in your first year dorm room for the first time, or to finally finish unloading all of your things into your apartment, move-in comes with an environmental cost.
The move-in and move-out periods generate a significant amount of waste in the Milton Parc neighbourhood. The dumpsters outside of residence halls overflow with cardboard boxes and single use packaging. Piles of black trash bags line the sidewalks from Lorne to Hutchison. Even just the packaging that comes with furnishing a dorm room or an apartment results in a massive amount of trash when multiplied by thousands of students.
The truth is that stopping the move-out mass littering begins at move-in. The reality for many McGill students is that we are temporary residents in Montreal, and many of us will leave the city after graduation. As much as departure seems far away upon arrival, we must remember that many of our possessions will not come with us when we leave.
As university students, how often are we thinking about the afterlife of our belongings when contemplating a purchase? It’s easy to imagine the missing piece for a shared living room or a shoebox dorm room when shopping after move-in. Much less often are we thinking of a piece of plastic that will take thousands of years to break down. The expectation should not be to buy something that will serve its purpose for a few years before being tossed away. Rather, moving into one’s apartment should come with the understanding that we have a responsibility to be sustainable for the sake of our neighborhood, environment, and wallet.
Instead of buying mass-produced items, turn to second-hand. when it comes to filling up your space. In addition to being better for the environment, buying second-hand will likely save you money in the process. Montreal has a vibrant Facebook Marketplace community, where you can find all sorts of furniture and unique decor for low prices, or even free of charge. And once you’re ready to move out of your university apartment, you can easily re-list items online or simply donate them to a local thrif store.
McGill runs its own on-campus thrift store out of University Hall. Launched in 2024 by Student Housing Services with the support of the Office of Sustainability, ThriftMcGill has since received over 10,000 donations including clothing, home decor, books, kitchenware, and board games. All items are free of charge for McGill students, making furnishing an apartment readily accessible.
When moving out, think of non-profit organization Sollicite’s Trash2Treasure initiative: a circular, volunteer-based program which redistributes used furniture and household items to charitable organizations across the island. Since 2017, the organization has dedicated itself to cleaning up the neighbourhood for a good cause. During the late-April move-out season, the team collaborates with the Students Society of McGill University (SSMU) to run multiple days of free home-collection services in Milton Parc. Volunteers pick up discarded items, including electronics, furniture, and small appliances, that can be recycled for those in need. In 2025 alone, they collected over 18 tonnes of material and gave new life to 96 per cent of it.
Frosh soon follows the excitement of residence move-in and OAP brings thousands of students to the lower field in the first week of classes. Both events have dedicated coordinators who work with McGill’s Office of Sustainability. In September 2025 OAP earned a gold sustainability certification, while the Management, Engineering, and Music Froshes earned platinum. In order for these events to happen, we have to be respectful and responsible participants and clean up our waste.
The beginning of the fall semester brings a lot of excitement to McGill’s undergraduate community, but we must remember the neighbourhood’s permanent residents while having fun. When attending back-to-school parties or other events in Milton Parc and beyond, dispose of cans, cups, and other plastic waste responsibly. Not only will cleaning up after partying help you avoid fines from your landlord, but it’s the right thing to do for our neighbours and our planet.
Moving into a dorm or returning to an apartment is, for many students leaving home to study, one of the most exciting parts of the university experience. But ultimately, Canada produces nearly five million tonnes of plastic waste each year, less than seven per cent of which is successfully recycled into new products. Bottom line, it is our responsibility to be mindful of the ways we can keep Milton Parc and Montreal clean throughout our time as residents on the island all year round.