Students' Trash Turns To Treasure At Penn Yard Sale
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The University of Pennsylvania is hosting a yard-sale-lover's dream on Saturday. It's collected all the discarded clothes, furniture and appliances students leave behind when they move out for the summer, and is offering them for bargain prices.
"We have printers, we have microwaves, we have refrigerators, we have small electronics, we have many many books," said Tracy Hawkins, who coordinates PennMoves, an effort to bring order to the chaos that used to surround the mass exodus of students from University City at this time each year.
Neighbors used to call it "Penn Christmas" because students often left what they couldn't take at curbside, free for the taking. But Hawkins says too much of it was wasted.
"We estimate about 90,000 pounds a year was going into a landfill," she said.
Four years ago, Penn started the sale and it has grown steadily.
"This year," she added. "We have probably three times the amount of clothing that we've had in the past."
The sale is at 3401 Grays Ferry Avenue from 10 to 3 but for five dollars you can get in at 8 a.m. and get a head start. Proceeds go to Good Will.
