Recycle North (ReStore)
My heart was broken today when I visited Recycle North. I encountered 3 boys throwing VCRs, video game systems and other quality items into a dumpster. I asked them what they were doing and they explained they were volunteering and were told to throw all this “broken” stuff into the dumpster. I went through some of the stuff with them, finding many un-opened (plastic wrapped) cassette tapes and other items which either looked fine or still had working parts. The boys helped me pull out some good stuff.
I went into the store to enquire about the orders these boys had received to throw out perfectly good things. The woman first explained that, no she could not let me take any of the stuff out (even though I hadn’t asked). Next she tried to explain that everything was broken to which I explained to her, no, it’s brand new. She had no answer for me.
At the risk of sounding totally nuts I will tell you I almost cried. The mecca of recycling in Burlington, the one place where you should be able to expect that everything that could possibly be recycled, is being recycled. But no. They are actively throwing out brand new things. Not only that, but they have an explicit policy of not letting anyone take any of those things.
It’s 2010. Just because you don’t know how to repair something, how to use parts of it, doesn’t mean it’s “trash.” Trash should not be part of our vocabulary. ESPECIALLY at the “ReStore.” We need to not only reach carbon neutral, but trash neutral.
