One's trash is another's treasure

Information about pre-enjoyed and reusable consumer products

Reuse is on the Rise

Reuse is on the rise, and there's no better way to see it than at local resale shops. Rather than just tossing out the old to make room for the new, people now have even more opportunities to reuse their used, but usable, possessions.

Resale shops represent a practical way to incorporate reuse into our lives. To find resale shops near you, look in the yellow pages under "Consignment" and "Thrift Shops" or check the list below.

Many resale shops go one step further in helping their communities. Not only only do they insure the reuse of many items, including clothing, furnishings, sporting goods, but much of their income goes to charities. Resale shops nation wide donate proceeds to homeless and women's shelters, schools, and other non-profit organizations.

One such resale shop, called ReStore, donates to Habitat for Humanity. Stores in California, Texas and Canada sell home improvement items, such as windows, sinks, lumber and hardware, at low prices to citizens. The items are donated to ReStore by contractors or manufacturers with extras or by homeowners who are remodeling. The money made from sales funds home repair and construction for low-income families.

Remember that reuse doesn't have to stop at resale stores. As the holiday season approaches, make a commitment to purchase reusable items. Gifts can be wrapped in pieces of cloth or newspaper. During your holiday shopping, you can also be on the watch for decorative boxes or bags. They are not only beautiful but can be used again and again.

Have More Than You Need?

A materials exchange is designed to provide information to businesses, industry and government agencies that are seeking to buy materials, sell byproducts or surplus materials, or swap something they don't need for something they do.

The Western New York Materials Exchange MAT-EX is a non-regulatory information and referral service devoted to helping barter waste materials among businesses and institutions. MAT-EX publishes materials exchange "Want ads", which list materials wanted or available for exchange. Most items are free of inexpensively priced.

There is no cost to receive the MAT-EX listing and no cost to list materials available or wanted. To get on the mailing list, simply call the GLOW Recycling Hotline at 1-800-836-1154

You can also reduce your waste by using the on-lone catalog at www.recycle.net/matex/

Reduce, reuse, recycle
...and RENT

You may not have heard "RENT" included in the three "R's", but it's one R you should consider.

Renting seldom used items instead of purchasing them has many financial, as well as environmental, benefits. For instance, the cost of renting a brush chipper/shredder is about $95 each day. To purchase the same chipper/shredder costs as much as $1200. If you seldom use a chipper/shredder, that adds up to a lot of savings.

Before you rush out to buy that next piece of equipment, remember that you have other money- and resource-saving options. Renting or borrowing seldom used items can provide you with a great way to save money and to practice source reduction.

Check the yellow pages under "Rental".

Special thanks to Ecopartners Inc.
And the Ontario Co. branch of the
Cornell Cooperative Extension in
Canandaigua New York
for allowing me to reprint their Quarterly NewsLetter
distributed for Ontario County Dept. of Solid Waste Management.