Students, staff and faculty have an opportunity to give back not only to their community but also to their environment with Kent State University's annual Bra Recycling Drive.
"We started the Bra Recycling Drive because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So it's nice since people are thinking about that and maybe cleaning out their drawers," Leah Graham, sustainability coordinator in the Office of Sustainability, said. "It's a good time of year they can donate."
According to Graham, the environment can be heavily impacted when there are so many different textiles with nowhere to go.
“If people don’t have an outlet for them, they might just end up in the landfill," Graham told Kent State Today. "So, this provides an opportunity where we’re diverting waste from the landfill.”
The Bra Recycling Drive began in 2012 and has been hosted annually since its inception.
"It's an easy way for students to engage in sustainability activity on campus," Graham said.
Since its creation, the drive has collected nearly 1,000 bras to be recycled and more than 2,000 bras to be reused, according to Graham. Reusable bras are donated to the Portage County Clothing Center.
Jennie O'Connell, director of the Center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services (SRVSS) on campus, is a breast cancer survivor, so this drive is especially meaningful to her. The center is sponsoring the drive this year, alongside other on-campus organizations, including Kent State Athletics, Employee Wellness and Kent State of Well-being.
SRVSS was originally involved with the drive because they shared a space in the Williamson House with the Women's Center.
"It really was the Women's Center that was involved because of the work they did around promoting issues that relate to women and that affect our community," O'Connell said.
After the Women's Center closed, SRVSS decided to continue this mission through the drive every year.
O'Connell emphasized the importance of student involvement in this drive, as many people have personal ties to breast cancer awareness. Whether it is through a family member, a friend or even a personal diagnosis, many people know someone who has struggled with this disease.
"It's one of those issues that affects everyone in our community, and it's a type of cancer that can be prevented if we're getting regular checks and people are taking care of themselves," O'Connell said. "A lot of times, you can catch it early and prevent it from spreading."
The National Breast Cancer Foundation provides a guide to doing a breast self-exam, which can be useful in early detection.
To donate to the Bra Recycling Drive, visit the bins found in the following locations:
- The SRVSS Office (Student Center Room 222)
- Warren Student Recreation and Wellness Center lobby
- Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center) lobby
- Heer Hall (first floor)
- Bras can also be mailed to the Office of Sustainability via inner-campus mail
Donations are being accepted until Oct. 30.
Learn more about the Bra Recycling Drive locations and dates.
Photo caption: Hayley Milhoan, a sophomore psychology major and intern at SRVSS, poses with one of the recycling bins at the recreation and wellness center.
