Showing posts with label divert trash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label divert trash. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

SWAP and SHOP Curbside Now that’s a green idea!

Would a curbside swap work in your town and how does it work?


Would a curbside swap work in your town and how does it work?

Here in the US we have several recycling alternatives.  One popular one, is an annual swap event at the town transfer station.  Each year the town of Concord MA hosts a swap and residents transport their disposed items to the facility and "drop off and swap off". . Our town has a town swap two times a year at the transfer station and it saves 500 tons each time from the landfill.  Imagine what you could do if it is curbside!

Some towns have permanent "swap shops" at the recycle facility Some have a permanent book swap, some a paint swap, and some a "put and take" shop for furniture and household goods.  Many facilities have all of these facilities in various buildings or trailers to recycle many kinds of reusable items. 

But sadly, not every town or place has or can have this.  Many cities have no space for a transfer station and rely on curbside pick up. Such is the case in the USA as well as the rest of the world. 

One of my favorite alternatives, I first witnessed was in Germany. The town of Ludwigshafen held two curbside swap and shop events each year.  They reserve specific dates for a Clean Out.  Residents leave good reusable items such as furniture, household, toys etc on the sidewalk between certain times and other residents can take them. Everything left over gets picked up by the town for disposal.  Certain conduct rules apply.   

The towns of Halifax and Saskatoon, Canada recently had just this sort of event, they called them Curbside Giveaway Weekend and Saskatoon Curbside Swap . 


The "Treasure Hunt" theme is modeled on highly successful events held in other Canadian cities. Residents in Ottawa have enjoyed biannual events since 2007 and Winnipeg began hosting the event in 2009. 
Here are some of the guidelines they used for their successful event:

Would a swap like this work where you live? 

It seems that it could be a great green  alternative in towns that do not have a transfer station or swap facility available on a permanent basis or urban areas where most residents have little access to cars. It's a great way to recycle useful things and purge!  

Why not try this in your community or neighborhood? Or get your town recycle committee to organize such a "swap and shop" event.

It's a zero waste way to dispose!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Shop The Town Swap And Save The Landfill

Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.

Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.

All over the country towns are implementing "Swap Shops" at town transfer stations or recycle centers.  
Town Swap Free and Green-Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.
They make so much sense, that I haven't figured out why every town in the US does not have a swap shop! It's a no brainer, because it not only diverts trash tonnage from landfills, but it adds up to savings on town disposal costs.  For instance, the town of Dennis, MA diverts 56% of it's residential solid waste from the landfill due to their Swap shop "Take it or Leave it". 
Town Swap Free and Green-Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.
What is a swap shop?  
A town swap can be a recycle center for just about everything. It's a put and take: a place to bring items and a place to shop for them for free.  
Each town runs theirs differently, some towns have only single book swaps or computer swaps.   But many towns have swaps for every recyclable category, often housed in multiple buildings or recycled trailors. Many are well organized and categorized just like stores and libraries.  Some buildings even have background music!  Many swap shops are maintained by city employees and others manned by volunteers.  
Town Swap Free and Green-Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.

What amazes me, is how much stuff actually gets reclaimed, reused, repurposed and saved from landfills.   It seems that people find use for just about anything.  Residents can not only reclaim standard items such as clothing, kitchenware, furniture, sports and gardening equipment, but also reuse building materials. No matter how the shops are configured, they have one thing thing in common, and that is that they give new life to tons of old objects and recycle it all.  Items go as quickly as they come in!
Town Swap Free and Green-Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.

Why doesn't every town have one?  
Every town has a small space that can be allocated for this project, but many towns do not consider them important enough.  My town had a book swap and a computer electronics area for several years, but recently closed them down, mainly because they didn't want to be bothered. It's a shame, because residents are often too overwhelmed, incapable or ill informed to find someone to take their stuff away and more often end up just tossing it into the trash. Hence, it goes to a landfill and much of it will never biodegrade.

Town Swap Free and Green-Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.
So, whether the swap shops are affectionately named "Town Mall", "Put n Take", "Last Chance" or "Treasure Chest",  it's a concept that not only saves the residents and the town, but saves the planet!
Town Swap Free and Green-Divert thousands of tons of trash from a landfill while shopping green.
If there is no swap shop in your town, why not take action and talk to your DPW or recycle committee.  It's good for the planet and greener in many ways.

Learn more about Swaps on Planetpals.com