Collecting cans and bottles is a way for some people to pick up extra
cash. But one man in Western Pennsylvania has been recycling with
a purpose — raising money to provide medical care for refugee children
in Africa. Brad Linder has more.
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Recycling to Help Others
Recycling is good for the environment, but it's also good for people.
August 29, 2002
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Recycling soda cans is one way
a person can help the environment. In Allentown, Penn., another form
of recycling is being utilized to not only protect the environment,
but to help people find jobs and save money, too.
Re Place carries a wide assortment of building and home
materials salvaged from home projects. ©GreenWorks Photo
by Dan Simon
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Re Place is a retail outlet of recycled appliances, building materials
and more, that helps reclaim materials that might normally end up
in local landfills.
"They've kept about 300 tons of material from area landfills
since they opened 18 months ago," said Kurt Fenstermacher, manager
of the Lehigh County solid waste and recycling program. "If somebody
calls with something that's working, they'll pick it up and give it
a second chance."
The outlet store is a division of Good Shepard, a rehabilitative organization
that helps train and find employment for disabled workers. The program
is funded through a mix of public and private grants and donations,
including money from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, which hopes Re Place can serve as a model for similar
outlets in other cities.
"We're partnering with businesses, so instead of throwing away
things, they're bringing them here," Fenstermacher said. "We
want to take things out of the waste stream.
"White stuff — appliances — there's a significant problem
with illegal dumping with these things. This program also helps cuts
down on illegal dumping."
Even though Re Place is still struggling to become known in the community,
the outlet store does draw as many as 700 visitors a week said Bill
Eismont a former K-Mart manager who now runs the store. More importantly
about 30 percent of those visitors buy something.
"We're getting a dollars per purchase average some retailers
would kill for," he says. "People find real value for their
money here."
Indeed. A working refurbished microwave oven goes for $25. A range
goes for $50 and so do washers and dryers. A stack of clean, unchipped
ceramic tiles in colors a normal person would find acceptable is priced
at a quarter per tile.
Ceramic tiles for sale at the outlet. ©GreenWorks
Photo by Dan Simon
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"We don't want to carry an inventory," Eismont said. "We
want to get it in and get it out in a hurry."
Much of Re Place's offerings come from local educational institutions.
The Lehigh Valley region is home to a number of two- and four-year
colleges who've found the outlet a good place to call when they're
refurbishing their facilities.
"They have been a real source of donations for us," said
Carol Jones of Good Shepard. "We've also done some work in home
demolition. We're hoping to get contractors to call us to come out
and take stuff away before buildings are demolished.
"It's not in their mindset yet. It's amazing, people just want
to come in with a wrecking ball. Some of the major builders have started
giving us a lot."
Contractors who do call get a certificate so they can claim a tax
deduction, plus save on the landfill tipping fees when the outlet
removes salvageable materials from a job site. Re Place will even
come out and get the stuff.
The organization also tries to reach remodeling homeowners. When it
can, it will take the entire old kitchen off their hands and sell
it for anywhere from $400 to $1800. The homeowner gets a similar tax
break and is saved the trouble of trying to get the local waste hauler
to take the stuff.
Jones said they're also receiving donations from area corporations.
"We've gone into actual office buildings and dismantled offices
and taken the materials out," she said.
Fellow non-profits tend to be some of the best customers for the office
fixtures Re Place finds.
"A lot of non-profits are on a virtually zero budget," Jones
said.
Re Place's own budget right now comes from a combination of grants
and donations, plus revenue from sales. During its first full year,
the project earned about $180,000 in revenue. Its goal this year is
$290,000.
"Our business plan says three years to break even," Jones
said. "It's going to be three years.
"A lot of it is letting people know we're here and getting our
donation base up."
While the organization is working to become better known, it's also
providing jobs for 10 disabled or developmentally challenged workers,
the other part of Re Place's goal.
While a certified repair specialist does the repair work on the appliances
the outlet sells, there are opportunities for workers to do more than
the typical rote jobs typically available to this class of workers
Eismont said.
Re Place hires disabled workers for its outlet facility
as part of the Good Shepard rehabilitative program. The site
also has a classroom for worker educational courses. ©GreenWorks
Photo by Dan Simon
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"They can make better than minimum wage here and they're eligible
for raises too," he said. "These guys do their jobs with
the tenacity of an NFL quarterback. They don't call in sick, and they
don't loaf."
The facility also has a classroom for the workers and the local Vo-tech
will teach classes on such things as job hunting methods and follow
up.
"We're a rehabilitation agency," Jones said. "We're all about recycling
people. This whole concept has really fit in with our mission."
Indeed, Re Place seems to have found a way to recycle almost anything,
except for maybe, on thing. "The hardest thing for us to get rid of
is home exercise equipment," Jones said, "and the stuff's virtually
unused."
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