They say that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, and o-vert is taking that old cliché to heart in an effort to divert useable items from the landfill and give them to those in need.
While visiting the South Transfer Station last week, o-vert members learned that much of what ends up in the dump is not garbage at all but valuable items that still have life left in them (employees told us about finding Rolexes, designer clothes, gold jewellery, Blackberries, etc.). Many ‘banned’ items such as recyclables (like lumber and cardboard) end up in the landfill because they are picked up curb side where there is no enforcement. Other items that require special disposal like batteries, medicine, and car tires also get buried in the landfill (click here for special disposal info for Vancouver and for Calgary).
We’d like to bring awareness to our ‘disposable’ culture. Not only are we collecting items to divert them from our landfills (the Vancouver landfill at Cache Creek will close in 2010 because it will have reached capacity), there are many non-profit organisations that can directly benefit from what you might think is trash.
We are running a ‘Save the Stuff Drive’ within our Vancouver office from Monday, September 22 through to Thursday, October 2. We know that it can be time consuming to find places for your items, so we will be collecting a variety of items from employees that may otherwise end up in the landfill. We are collecting men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing as well as household items. Please make sure that all items are gently used and clean (ie. no holes, rips, missing buttons, or broken appliances). Please see details of the charities we will be donating to below.
Women’s – Work wear will be going to Dress for Success, an organization that outfits women in need with clothing appropriate for the workforce. Shoes and accessories as well as outer wear are always in high demand. Casual clothing and any toiletries will go to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.
Men’s – Clothing appropriate for work will be going to Working Gear, including steel toed boots, work pants, and tool belts as well as office attire. Casual clothing will be donated to the Gordon Neighbourhood House, which uses the proceeds from their thrift store to fund programs for seniors, children, parents, newcomers to Canada, street youth, the unemployed, and many others.
Children’s – This clothing will go the YWCA Crabtree Corner which helps women and their families in the Downtown Eastside improve their quality of life through education, housing, and hot meal programs.
Household Items – We will be donating household items collected to Gather and Give, a charity that provides starter household kits to refugees and others in need. If you have large furniture items, please contact HomeStart to arrange for a pick up from your house.
For our employees in the Calgary office, there are a number of Salvation Army thrift stores that accept donations. Go here for their addresses and phone numbers.
An important thing to remember is to stay downsized once you donate your items. Don’t feed the cycle of consumerism by going out and buying more stuff! Ask yourself if you really need the item, and how long you will use it for before it becomes “garbage”.
