Resource Recovery Program Guide

How the Resource Recovery Program Works

Surplus items are made available to Princeton departments first, but all University employees and students can access the list of Resource Recovery items through the Resource Recovery Website For University Employees.

Items are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and are made available to Princeton departments first. After five days, if a department has not reserved an item, it is made available for purchase by University employees, students, and the general public. Departments may still request items that have been made available to the public.

Contact Us

Email [email protected] or call (609) 258-2347 with any questions about the University Resource Recovery Program. 

Policies for items going into Resource Recovery

  • You may not remove University property from the campus for personal use, resale, or other unofficial use unless processed through the purchasing department. This includes discarded items and equipment or supplies in use by departments or by students, tenants, or visitors.
  • You must turn over items no longer needed to the Resource Recovery program in order for them to be redistributed to other departments, sold, donated, or recycled.
    NOTE: Computer Asset Recovery services (laptops, desktops, tablets, displays/monitors, power supplies, keyboards and mice) are handled by OIT. Facilities' Resource Recovery handles IT equipment not mentioned above (external hard drives, hard drives requiring data destruction/crushing, mobile phones, servers, disk arrays, printers and other electronics. 
  • You must turn over broken or unusable items to Resource Recovery for proper disposal.
  • You may not remove items from dumpsters, garbage cans, or any other disposal location for personal use or sale.

Policies for items coming from Resource Recovery

  • Consider Resource Recovery first, this is a more sustainable use of our resources.
  • If your department needs to purchase new furniture or equipment, check the Resource Recovery inventory first.
  • Federally funded contracts and grants require recipients to consider available resource recovery items before acquiring new equipment.

Questions regarding the Resource Recovery Program may be directed to the Facilities Resource Recovery Program Coordinator at [email protected]

Entering surplus items into the Resource Recovery Program

Each department, administrative or academic, must designate at least one Resource Recovery coordinator who will be responsible for tracking department surplus. We recommend assigning one contact for low-value goods and furniture, and another for electronic and technical equipment. To add a Resource Recovery coordinator for your department, email [email protected].

  1. A Resource Recovery coordinator submits surplus items in the Resource Recovery Website For University Employees, which automatically updates the inventory. Resource Recovery coordinators have permission to submit items.
  2. Once an item is submitted, we will arrange to move it from your department as soon as possible. We will not pick up items that have not been submitted through the website, i.e. please do not submit a service request to move items into Resource Recovery.
  3. We will be responsible for advertising it, displaying it, and disposing of it (when necessary). 

Departments do not receive funds for surplus items. Items submitted to Resource Recovery are available to other University departments at no cost.

Limitations

  • Individuals may not purchase vehicles due to potential liability.
  • University employees may not purchase their old computers due to confidentiality and high-risk data. All computers pass through a standard disk-wiping process before going through the Resource Recovery program.
  • All items in the Resource Recovery Program are available as-is. Equipment and items transferred, sold, traded-in, given, or otherwise disposed of carry no warranty from the University. The University accepts no liability and all transactions are as-is and final with no returns.
  • Purchased items must be removed on the day of purchase. The warehouse cannot store items for personal purchase.
  • Occasionally a department will have a need for temporary storage space for equipment or furniture they will need in the near future. The purchasing department will provide current storage rates for contracts in place with outside suppliers. Any movement of furniture or equipment must be reported to the Resource Recovery program coordinator so the location of the item can be properly recorded in the University’s capital asset system.

Unsold items

Items will be available for purchase for one month. After a month in the warehouse, items that have not sold are disposed of by other means:

  • charitable donations
  • trade-ins

Charitable donations

Charities interested in acquiring items from Resource Recovery must be approved by the Office of Community and Regional Affairs. Please call (609) 258-3204 or email [email protected] to begin the approval process. Participating charities are responsible for the prompt pickup of items when they become available.

Sales or trade-ins to outside suppliers & companies

Resource Recovery items can be sold to companies and suppliers outside the University or used as trade-ins. These sales or trade-ins must be approved by the Resource Recovery program coordinator. All sales or transfers must be documented with the Release and Waiver and Bill of Sale forms, which should clearly indicate the conditions of the transfer, and copies must be submitted to the Resource Recovery coordinator.