Photo: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe

While recent layoffs tend to grab the headlines, the biggest future challenge facing the Boston area’s strong biotech sector isn’t a lack of jobs. In fact, it's just the opposite. 

According to the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation’s annual report, the sector is facing a worker shortage—and needs to do more to recruit graduates from local colleges.

When the Institute of International Education issued its annual foreign-student census last fall, it was one for the record books: International enrollments clocked their largest one-year increase in more than four decades.

The rebound is a relief for colleges, many of which have come to depend on a reservoir of overseas tuition dollars to remain financially afloat. But while foreign students are coming in droves, experts say there’s reason to be cautious.

At residential campuses, students often leave items behind that they either won’t need or don’t use when they move out of the dorms. This process can generate waste, making it unsustainable and detrimental for the environment.

Colleges and universities are responding by opening campus thrift stores that resell or “freecycle” items to students for low or no cost. These on-campus sites help students save money, minimize their carbon footprint, and encourage them to lean into the trend of buying secondhand.