Wednesday, April 23, 2014

SCRAPy Solution to Event Waste


Photo at SCRAP in San Francisco by Nancy Zavada

Imagine, someone begging for donations of used signage, conference bags and lanyards?  Me neither, until I took a field trip to SCRAP during the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference. 

SCRAP takes an amazing amount of used items (ones that Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity won't) and diverts 250 tons of waste from the landfill each year.  The Creative Reuse Center and Warehouse is organized by type of material: wood, metal, glass, fabric, paper, images, plastic, natural materials, beads & buttons, arts & crafts, toys, and more. The entrance contains a section of free materials. The rest are available at low-cost to artists, teachers and the creative public. Monies raised from the depot keep SCRAP going, offering free materials pick-ups, low-cost workshops, school field trips, and more.

Never again will conferences and events in San Francisco have to wonder where they can donate those leftover items.

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