Sunday 20th October 2024
When I was in Eugene I got to stay with good friends that I used to work with in California back in 2001 (fun fact, the last time I saw them was in 2012 when my partner Steve was on his Churchill fellowship round the US looking at dark sky parks and I tagged along).
Turns out there was a misunderstanding, and they thought I was in Eugene to visit BRING recycling, not SVDP, so of course after we figured that out, I needed to go check out this new place that had been added to my list!
BRING is one of the nation’s oldest non-profit recyclers. Since 1971, we have encouraged people to rethink what they use and what they throw away. We help our community keep useful items out of the landfill, find ways to use less stuff, reuse as many things as possible, and recycle the rest. Through our retail outlet and education programs, we fulfill our mission to provide vision, leadership, and tools for living well on the planet we share.
I went along on a Sunday and hadn't arranged to talk to anyone so here are just some pictures and info that I picked up while walking around. I'll be getting in touch with them and hopefully arranging a call later and will update the blog if I do.
The store is huge, with a mixture of indoor warehousing and outdoor yard space. It probably has the biggest selection of materials that I've seen at a reuse site - everything from nails and sanders to furniture and windows. Their product catgories are here to give you an idea.
Donations are taken at the same site in a custom drop of section which clearly shows what can and cannot be accepted.
BRING is environmentally focussed and exists to capture reusable material and change behaviour:
Through the Planet Improvement Center, innovative community education programs, home repair classes, upcycled maker workshops, materials recovery, EPR advocacy, and more, we are on a mission to provide vision, leadership, and tools for living well on the planet we share.
It does mean however, thatthey will often struggle to find markets for stuff and when life brings you a hundred multicoloured toilets..... you make.....a seating loop, obviously.
More pictures and videos in this album on my flickr page
Comments