Can You Reuse It?
By Kevin Marsh
Recycling used materials to be remanufactured into new products is very important in a community's effort to help the environment. What may be even more important, and much less acted upon, are opportunities to reuse materials and everyday products that are not collected by recycling companies. Opportunities for reuse can be found with just about any object; it just takes some extra effort and creativity.
You can (and should) reuse your own stuff, but how much more fun and interesting, to reuse someone else's cast-offs. Steamboat Springs has many businesses concentrating on selling used clothing and furniture such as thrift stores like Rummagers and Lift-Up. Another business with a unique approach to reselling used products, Annie's Home Consignments located in Sundance Plaza, specializes in used furniture, but anything from old-fashioned skis to lavish jewelry or luxurious couches can be seen throughout the store, and new inventory pours in daily. Annie, the owner of Annie's Home Consignments, likes to use her personal catch phrase, “Giving life to old products,” to describe the store's mission. Annie determines the overall value of an item and prices it accordingly; however, after fifteen days the item's price drops fifteen percent and thirty percent after thirty days and then fifty percent after fifty days. If items still stand unsought after fifty days, Annie will then drastically lower the price or leave items outside the store as freebies or give them to other local stores specializing in reselling used products.
Located at the Milner Landfill, just ten miles outside of Steamboat Springs, you will find a large building displaying a creative sign that spells, Home ReSource. The building is surrounded by an array of materials that seem to be, to the uninformed eye, nothing more than junk; however, it is just the opposite. Home ReSource is a non-profit company devoted to collecting and reselling used and leftover building materials to the public. As you walk through the yard at Home ReSource you will be amazed at what you can find. Much of what comes to Home ReSource is from deconstruction, which includes materials such as lumber, windows, doors, cabinetry, tile and hardwood flooring. Home ReSource is not limited only to items from deconstruction; anyone can donate no longer needed materials simply by dropping them off onsite, and Home ReSource will find them a second home.
Home ReSource not only benefits the environment by minimizing landfill space and the need for new materials, but Home ReSource is also very valuable to the consumer because of their product pricing. Generally new items start at fifty percent off the listed retail price. Home ReSource considers the condition of used items when pricing. Almost all prices in the yard are negotiable, and don't expect to find only used materials because Home ReSource also receives many donations of new materials left over from construction jobs. Home ReSource has made it possible to build almost entire homes from second, or even third generation materials, but there are other ways to reuse.
An alternative to reusing building materials left over from deconstruction lies in historic preservation. Most of us know historic preservation as a way to hold onto culture, tradition, and significant landmarks. The Steamboat Springs Historic Preservation Committee has done a great job in preserving what is important and historic in our community. However, global issues such as climate change give historic preservation a new role.
Many people living in the Yampa Valley are beginning to ask questions about what should be done with some of the older buildings and homes in the community. According to Richard Moe, the President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “Forty percent of America's carbon emissions are produced by the construction and operation of buildings.” Rather than demolishing and constructing new homes, historic preservation methods can efficiently maintain buildings that already exist, thus conserving land development, carbon emissions, and maybe even bringing back a few architectural styles from the earlier generations. Steamboat Springs has not organized a committee to specifically preserve non-historically significant buildings in the community, but preserving older homes within Steamboat Springs may be included in future planning for the town.
Another great way to reuse is through the Internet. Most of us are already well informed about websites such as Craigslist and EBay which specialize in reselling products at a bargain price. A website that takes a different approach is Freecycle.org. This website has created a network of community sharing that organizes neighborhood groups on the Internet in an effort not to sell but to actually give away items that would normally be discarded. The great thing about Freecycle.org is that products are shared within members of the same community, meaning there is usually no shipping involved. Steamboat Springs already has over 240 members online willing to trade or give away unwanted items to others in the community.
The idea of reusing is very important in a city's effort to create a more sustainable community and Steamboat Springs is well on its way. Organizations such as Home ReSource and stores like Annie's Home Consignments are helping the community reuse its own leftover materials and with community sharing available online it is hard to see how any material makes it way to the landfill. Next time you're thinking about tossing out an old table or scratched door, think about the alternative. Reusing is easy, fun, creative, and creates a more sustainable community.
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