The Island Green Building Association of St. John will host 20,000 Thank Yous — The ReSource Depot One Year Anniversary Event on January 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., recognizing the success of recycling and eliminating 20,000 pounds from the landfill and transfer station.
The public is invited to take advantage of already low prices reduced significantly on the day of the celebration. Food, refreshments, music, and savings will be the focus of the day as IGBA thanks the community, residents and businesses for their support.
Every year, valuable items with plenty of useful life left in them are tossed in the dump, creating solid waste and pollution problems on the island. IGBA board members recognized this enormous waste of resources and developed a plan to open a resource recovery and recycling facility where residents and businesses could donate useful items for resale.
IGBA opened the first of four storage trailers on Gifft Hill across from the transfer station in January 2011 as part of its mission to prevent useful building and home materials from being dumped in the landfill. Windows, doors, hardware, furniture, building and electrical supplies, tools, appliances, toilets, sinks, tile, shutters, paint and more have been generously donated by concerned St. Johnians.
“Across the territory, solid waste is a growing problem for residents watching dumpsters, transfer stations, and landfills overflow with waste materials, many of which are useful items that folks want to get rid of but cannot find a home for,” said IGBA Executive Director Dr. Barry Devine. “Islands in particular have few appropriate locations for discarded waste trapped in the small community, space that would be more efficiently used if the useful items could be recovered and reused. With all of the building and remodeling happening on St. John, the island is loaded with good stuff that people want.”
IGBA’s effort a year ago began with a large donation from local businessman Harith Wickrema of Eco Serendib, and since that time dozens of residents, businesses, and contractors have stepped up with a wide variety of desirable items, while dozens and dozens more have come to shop and buy, giving these low-cost items a new life and supporting a greener island.
In support of IGBA, an eight-year-old non-profit, generous donors have helped to fund the discounted cost of the storage trailers at the Storage on Site location across from the Susannaberg Transfer Station. Many residents volunteer and donate their time to transport goods, work at the Depot, and get the word out that there are goods to be had at fantastic prices.
Dan “Pants Man” Carlson was recently hired as the Depot manager and the operating hours have been extended to Saturday, Monday and Thursday mornings until noon.
Funds from the sale of goods, IGBA memberships, grants, and private donations help support the Depot expenses and the monthly Green Thursdays educational Seminar Series. Recently, IGBA has partnered with the EARTH Program at Gifft Hill School to help lead St. John toward sustainability.
IGBA invites everyone to come out on January 26 for big discounts, good food, music, and community, as a thanks those who have supported the non-profit’s recycling efforts at the ReSource Depot.
