SCRAP Portland, Oregon

What a great resource!!!

  

SCRAP is located in Portland, Oregon's and has a great philosophy...

"Fill Minds Not Landfills"

Here is an excerpt from one of their website pages:   

"Did you know that over 75% of Portland’s waste comes from businesses? SCRAP developed Fill Minds Not Landfills (FMNL) to help Portland-area businesses easily, effectively and significantly divert waste from landfills, while inspiring creative reuse in our community. Since launching in 2010, Fill Minds Not Landfills has diverted over 20,000 pounds of reusable materials from local landfills and continues to educate local businesses and manufacturers on more sustainable waste reduction."

How it works:

1. SCRAP provides on-site donation containers to participating businesses. Donations are tax deductible. See a complete list of things we accept.
2. For a nominal fee, materials will be picked up once a month, or whenever a business requests the service, and delivered to SCRAP in Truckie, our creative reuse truck. Or, your business can choose to drop off your material donation and not pay a fee.
3. Materials are sorted, priced and sold for a low price at the SCRAP store to fuel arts and crafts projects. All income goes back into SCRAP’s programs.

How your business benefits:

• All donations to SCRAP are 100% tax deductible
• Reduces waste hauling costs
• As more businesses “go green,” your participation in FMNL positions you as a leader in environmentally sustainable business behavior
• Creates more usable space in your company
• Shows a commitment to the community and the arts
• Directly supports SCRAP’s dedication to inspiring creative reuse and offering educational programs about environmental sustainability
• Your business may be featured on SCRAP’s website or at SCRAP’s Creative Reuse Center.

All of us at Arrowhead Signs would REALLY appreciate it if our customers would consider donating their vinyl banners, when they are no longer a use to them, so they can be repurposed.  Their are so many ways that material can be put to use.  There are many organizations that will happily take that donated material and create a very durable and reusable tote bag (which helps to reduce waste, as well), and other companies may use that material for roofing or housing projects.  

For more information about items that SCRAP is willing to accept, please visit their website scrappdx.org

Dedicated and passionate creative reusers in other parts of the country have taken up the mantle and are establishing SCRAPs in their communities. Pay attention to the creative reuse love coming out of Washington, DC; Denton, TX; and Traverse City, MI.

How to get involved:

If you are interested in learning how to start a creative reuse center of your own, please contact Kelley Carmichael Casey for more information.

You can also follow Creative Reuse Workshop’s blog about how to develop a creative reuse center in your own community, as a preview to the book on the same subject, to be released in early October 2012.