Living Sustainably: Recycle and reuse at the ReStore

By Stacey Korecki, Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity
Have you heard about the Holland ReStore and how it is a center of recycle and reuse activity?
The Holland ReStore is a donation center that sells materials used in home improvement projects.
Items such as new and used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more can be found in store.
The great thing is, when used building materials or household products are donated to the ReStore and then sold, that item is recycled and kept out of the landfill. For every $1 in ReStore sales, 1.3 pounds of material is kept out of your local landfill.
Habitat ReStores are independently owned and operated by local Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
The proceeds from ReStore sales are used locally to support affordable housing. The Holland ReStore supports the work of Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity which serves Ottawa and Allegan counties.
The Holland ReStore, located at 12727 Riley St., kept approximately 742,725 pounds of material out of the landfill last year, and is on pace for that same amount this year.
This ReStore is known particularly for kitchen materials sales, and has sold 35 to 40 kitchen cabinet sets! Part of the reason that kitchens are a big part of Holland ReStore’s sales is because of the deconstruction services that the store offers. Donors within the greater Holland area can call the ReStore to schedule a product pick up. The ReStore deconstruction team will come to a home and take out the items that the donor no longer needs and bring them back to the ReStore for sale. It doesn’t get much easier to donate that that.
You can support your local ReStore by shopping, donating, or even volunteering. The Holland ReStore is always looking for volunteers to help with organizing, taking in product, cleaning, customer support, merchandising, and creating new products out of items that come into the store. Some of our most popular products have been made by volunteers using donated items.
Don’t throw out that old desk! Donate it to the Holland ReStore. A volunteer may just fix it up, and someone will find that your old desk is just want they have been looking for at just the right price. You kept the desk out of the landfill and helped someone in your community.
The Holland ReStore is a great place to recycle and reuse to make Holland a more sustainable community.
 Stacey Korecki is the development coordinator for Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity in charge of events and marketing communications.  Stacey also supervises the marketing internship program which accepts two college interns each semester.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is an incredible resource that must be channeled to where it is needed.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.