SWAP Shop Moves

The SWAP Shop on the main campus in Worcester has moved to S5-320 in the medical school building. The popular re-use spot for office supplies, lab equipment and more had to move to make way for renovations on the third floor.

“We have a lot of new people on campus at the beginning of the academic year, so I encourage them to visit the shop, and to stop in on a regular basis,” said Suzanne Wood, sustainability and energy manager at UMass Chan. “There are always new items being dropped off, so you never know what you’ll find.”

SWAP stands for “Surplus With A Purpose.” UMass Chan Medical School students, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring surplus office supplies, small furniture, or laboratory equipment to the SWAP Shop so others on campus can put the items to good use. Home goods are not accepted.

Now in its third year, the SWAP Shop has exchanged thousands of items that otherwise could have ended up in the trash. For a peek at some of the items now available in the shop see: SWAP Shop S5-302. 

The SWAP Shop accepts office and lab equipment and supplies, but no chemicals, biologicals, isotopes, or needles. Any lab equipment must be appropriately decontaminated before being transported and dropped off at the shop. Large pieces of furniture or major capital items are not accepted. Those items can still be repurposed, but should be handled through the UMass Chan Purchasing Department’s asset moving policy.

Any electronic devices, like printers or other computer peripherals that can store information need to be wiped clean of all data before depositing at the shop.