Acadia Dump and Run

The Acadia Dump and Run was a large campus-community garage sale held each spring. It was started by students in 2001 to divert unwanted items from the landfill that were left behind in campus residences and off campus housing at the end of the academic year. The Wolfville community also participated by donating items for disposal and sale.

Student and community groups volunteered at the event with proceeds donated to the participating campus clubs, societies and community non-profits. Past volunteers included groups such as Habitat for Humanity, Girl Guides, World University Services Canada, Wolfville Tritons, SPCA, The Acadia Community Farm, S.M.I.L.E. and many more.

The annual event was suspended in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19. In 2022 it was decided that the program had achieved its original goal and would be discontinued. When the event was started there were few options for convenient recycling of unwanted items, but in recent years the second hand economy has grown exponentially with over 85% of Canadians participating in buying and selling goods (CPA Canada, 2018).

Students and community residents can now buy and sell items locally at several retail stores such as Janes Again, Value Village and the SPCA Thrift Store, as well as on multiple online platforms such as Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace, that did not exist when the event was established. On campus, unwanted items in residences are now donated to the Canadian Diabetes Association Clothesline Program.

We thank all those who participated in the nearly 20 years of the program and wish everyone happy shopping in the second-hand economy.