Sex toys and a gorilla-masked mannequin are a few of the stranger things manager Tim Knightfound while doing dorm room cleaning.
"The mannequin scared the living daylights out of you because you thought something with a hairy face was behind you," he said.
Many students could not fit everything they have acquired throughout the year into the bags and boxes Mom and Dad brought to them in the spring. This often means many items are thrown out or left behind.
"We get our fair share of clothes that people have forgotten, but it's mostly trash," said Knight, manager of Case and Wonders halls.
He also said lots of small appliances and plenty of old notes are found among other things when maintenance crews are cleaning out the rooms.
Some complex directors said most people do a good job cleaning.
"Most rooms are pretty immaculate," said Matt McKune, manager for Akers and Hubbard halls. "Most people clean their rooms, and there's nothing in them."
All the garbage thrown away at the end of the school year can add up to more waste and garbage than any other time throughout the year.
The extra trash means more work for the people who haul away all the trash and junk from the dorms, said Roger Cargill, operation supervisor for the Office of Recycling and Waste Management.
"Move in and move out are the two biggest times of the year," he said. "That's when we work more time than ever."
Typical things disposed by students include loft wood, carpets and refrigerators, along with excess paper and garbage.
Lots of times, students throw out furniture that shows the wear and tear of college.
"I seldom ever see a couch that's ever worth anything," McKune said.
But not everything thrown out goes to waste. Cargill said all loft wood goes to organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, Ingham Intermediate School District, Volunteers of America and Teen Challenge.
The MSU Surplus Store picks up abandoned carpets and couches for resale.
Some students, however, are not so efficient in moving out.
"There are a couple times where people just abandon their rooms," Knight said.
Maintenance crews check every drawer and closet after students leave for the summer. Some of the most common objects found are checkbooks, keys and clothing, he said.
Knight said when a worker found sex toys, it was humorous but also embarrassing. The maintenance worker who found them was not aware of what she had discovered, he said.
"There were just enough to make it obvious that this person had defined interests," he said.
