Reuse Options for Municipalities

Encouraging reuse at a municipal level can be a challenging task. Here are some ideas for community reuse programs:

Goods Exchange Days — Residents put out reusable items at curbside for others to scavenge. Leftover items are either donated to community groups and/or disposed of at landfill (either by the residents or by the municipality). Costs to the municipality mainly involve promotion, and possible pick-up of unclaimed items.

Community Swap Meet — Have residents bring items for free exchange to a central location. Lloydminster's Trash to Treasure event is an example of this type of program. Run in conjunction their Toxic Roundup Day and Pitch-In Week events, Trash to Treasure is very popular. Very few items are left over to be landfilled. They've recently added a safety inspection feature for child safety seats and cribs. Municipal involvement is minimal—promotion and someone on-site to keep order. Similar events could be organized by other community groups.

Take It or Leave It Areas — These are permanent facilities with space for residents to bring their unwanted items, which others can pick up at no charge. They need designated space and some staff maintenance. Take it or leave it areas are most convenient when part of other facilities, such as a recycling depot. Several Alberta communities, (e.g. Edson and Airdrie) have take it or leave it areas at their recycling depots. Other communities have reuse centres at their landfills or their household hazardous waste depots. Non-municipal groups can have similar facilities.

Community Garage Sales — These need not be organized by municipalities. Service clubs and other organizations can use these popular reuse events as fund raisers. Large-scale garage sales attract people from outside the community and can stimulate local economies.

Reuse Directory — Some municipalities encourage reuse by compiling information on all the reuse opportunities in the community. This could include listings of second hand stores of various types, repair outlets, and refill centres.

(Source: June 2000 WasteWatch)

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