Podcast Recap: The Handover App Connects College Students to the Circular Economy

In Episode 26 of the Sustainable Solutions with Planet Aid podcast: The Handover App: Connecting College Students to the Circular Economy, hosts Monica Johnson and Haley Chitty talk discuss the issue of college waste with  founder and CEO of the Handover App,  Owen Shaw.

Shaw shares how the platform is reshaping the way students buy, sell, and exchange goods on campus while advancing both financial savings and environmental sustainability.

You can read the conversation highlights below, or listen to the podcast in full on Apple, Spotify, Substack, YouTube, or Planet Aid's website.

What is Handover?

Handover is an edu-verified campus app designed to bring students together in a safe, organized space to trade and collaborate. Unlike the chaos of unorganized group chats and unreliable classified ads, Handover offers a streamlined platform where students can connect using their verified school email addresses. This unique feature ensures that users are part of the campus community, fostering a sense of trust and safety.

The app primarily features listings for gently used textbooks, clothes, and furniture—items that are often discarded or left to decay at the end of each semester. By facilitating these transactions, Handover keeps valuable items out of landfills and within the campus community, simultaneously reducing waste and saving students money.

"I wanted to create a place where students could recycle, reuse, and interact safely."

 The Birth of Handover

Owen Shaw's inspiration for Handover came during his own university years, when he struggled to find a reliable platform for buying and selling used items. Frustrated by nondescript and unspecific platforms like Facebook Marketplace, which often connected him with non-students, Shaw envisioned a safer, more inclusive space for peer-to-peer transactions.

"I wanted to create a place where students could recycle, reuse, and interact safely," Shaw explains. Handover was born from this vision, creating an environment where students can engage with one another in meaningful, eco-friendly ways.

Edu-Verification and Sustainability

The term "EduVerified" refers to Handover's commitment to ensuring that all users are legitimate students. By requiring sign-up with a university-specific email, the app guarantees interactions occur within a trusted community. This verification process is crucial for maintaining the app’s integrity and focus on student safety.

But Handover's mission goes beyond safety—it's also about sustainability. Shaw notes the staggering amount of waste generated by universities, particularly at the end of semesters when students discard perfectly usable items. "There's so much waste that happens, and it's perfectly good stuff," Shaw remarks. By connecting students who want to buy and sell these items, Handover reduces the environmental impact and encourages the reuse of resources.

Expanding the Handover Community

To promote Handover, Shaw employs a combination of grassroots marketing and digital outreach. The app's growth has been largely word-of-mouth, with enthusiastic students spreading the word across campuses. Additionally, Shaw has implemented an ambassador program, allowing students to gain experience while promoting sustainability within their communities.

The app's success has not gone unnoticed by universities, some of which are eager to incorporate sustainable practices into their campuses. Shaw is actively engaging with schools to formalize partnerships, with plans to expand to 20-30 universities in the coming semester.

During the episode, Shaw also specifies that college students' waste is not limited to dormitories.  Off-campus housing is a huge source of waste because students often leave their furniture, clothing, and electronic devices behind to avoid bringing them back home. The app gives them the option to sell or give the items away.

The Impact of Handover

Handover is more than just a marketplace—it's a movement towards conscious consumerism and environmental responsibility. By participating in this circular economy, students are not only saving money but also reducing the demand for new, resource-intensive manufacturing.

The feedback from both students and universities has been overwhelmingly positive. Students appreciate the app’s practicality and affordability, while universities recognize its potential to enhance campus sustainability efforts.

"If Handover gets national attention, then my vision is that campuses will become significantly more eco-friendly," 

 Looking Ahead

As Handover continues to evolve, Shaw envisions a future where campuses nationwide embrace sustainable practices through this innovative platform. "If Handover gets national attention, then my vision is that campuses will become significantly more eco-friendly," Shaw concludes.

Watch the full episode of Sustainable Solutions with Planet Aid featuring Christine Garde-Denning, and stay tuned for our monthly podcast with other sustainable leaders.

Don’t forget...you can make your community more sustainable. Planet Aid offers solutions, including:

Finding your closest yellow donation bin

Joining Planet Aid’s School Program

Hosting your own yellow bin