Triangle Reuse Alliance Plans Reuse Rodeo in Chapel Hill

Reuse Rodeo Rounds Up Resources for Local Nonprofits

The Triangle Reuse Alliance is hosting the first ever Reuse Rodeo in cooperation with Orange County Solid Waste Management! Residents can bring certain reusable materials to one location for the benefit of multiple local non-profits dedicated to reuse and waste reduction.

The event will be held on Saturday April 2, 2011 at the Solid Waste Management Administrative office, 1207 Eubanks Rd in Chapel Hill from 10 am-2pm. Support for this project has been provided by Triangle Community Foundation’s Community Grantmaking Program.

The Scrap Exchange (www.scrapexchange.org) will be on hand accepting the following items:
-Fabric
-Sewing notions such as thread, needles and buttons
-Yarn
-Craft / Art supplies
-Corks, bottle caps, twist ties
-Picture frames

The reCYCLEry (www.recyclery.org) will collect donations of used bikes in fair to excellent condition. They cannot use severely rusted bikes, so no rust buckets or wrecks, please!

Interfaith Council for Social Services Food Pantry (www.ifcweb.org) will be collecting reusable grocery bags made of cloth, canvas, vinyl, or string, as well as tissue wrapping paper.

Club Nova (www.clubnova.org) will be on hand collecting kitchen items such as pots, pans, and small appliances and tools of all types, both manual and motorized. Tools wanted include garden, wood working, craft tools, hand saws, chain saws and the like.

Please make sure that all items are clean, in working order, and are appropriate for reuse in our community. Volunteers will help with unloading if necessary.

The Orange County Reuse Rodeo is the first in the nation, but it won’t be the last! The Triangle Reuse Alliance is planning two more this spring, one in Raleigh and one in Cary, each with its own group of reusing non-profits and unique list of wanted items. Stay tuned for details. The idea is to raise awareness about the many organizations that focus on reuse while also getting useful items out of storage and out of the house so they can do some good in our community. All of the participating organizations will have staff and information available, and the Reuse Alliance will have a table loaded with local reuse resource information.

Club Nova provides opportunities for individuals with mental illness to lead meaningful and productive lives of their choice in the community. Club Nova operates a thrift store, a club house, and residential program in Carrboro, teaching life and occupational skills. Donations of clothing and housewares can be made at their thrift store location in Carrboro, but for the purposes of this event they want only kitchen, household and garden tools. The InterFaith Council runs shelters, community kitchens and health clinics for the homeless and hungry in Chapel Hill. You may donate food or funds directly to the IFC, but at the Rodeo we will be focusing on getting goods to their clients in a gracious way. The Recyclery is a bicycle cooperative dedicated to getting more people, especially young ones, riding bikes. In exchange for fixing up bikes, youngsters can earn their own recycled bike. The Scrap Exchange is the premier creative reuse center, located in Durham.

The Triangle Reuse Alliance is building a Triangle-wide coalition to increase awareness of reuse by educating the public about the social, environmental and economic benefits of reuse. Follow the Triangle Reuse Alliance on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/trianglereusealliance.