Hidden Gem: The City of Edmonton Reuse Centre

08/09/2016

Reduce. Reuse. Upcycle. If you’re like me you’re concerned about the impact your lifestyle has on the environment. You try to recycle and limit waste whenever possible and you’re open to new ways to reduce your environmental impact. You also want to teach your children the impact that our actions have on the environment.

I’ve got some great news for my fellow Edmontonians. The City of Edmonton Reuse Centre is an amazing way to cut down on your environmental impact and teach your children about reuse. But how does it work?

Bring in items to the Reuse Centre that you would normally throw in the garbage. Everything from wine corks and picture frames to VHS tapes and binders are accepted. The full list of items accepted can be found here. If you don’t live near the Reuse Centre you can now drop off your donations to any of the Eco-Stations, for no charge! If you’re in the market for some crafting supplies, school supplies and more, shop the Reuse Centre and spend only $5 for up to 50 kg of items!!

The Reuse Centre offers free tours and is now offering programs for children, adults and families! You can also rent their boardroom for events or host craft workshops and birthday parties!

The Reuse Centre is run by the City of Edmonton. It has three main goals:

• to promote the ideas and benefits of reuse
• to divert waste from the landfill
• to provide affordable items to individuals and organizations

The Reuse Centre relies heavily on volunteers to collect and sort donations. On average, each month 20 tonnes of materials are brought in to the Reuse Centre and 92 % of those donations are diverted from the landfill! How awesome is that?

I encourage you to keep a box in your house for collecting items for the Reuse Centre. Once it’s full, drop it off at your nearest Eco-Station or the Reuse Centre.

Learn more about reuse and upcycling and stay up-to-date with what’s happening at the Reuse Centre by following them on Facebook and Instagram or subscribing to their newsletter!

I had the absolute pleasure of attending a Blogger Crafting Soiree last week at the City of Edmonton Reuse Centre where we made awesome DIY Corkboards and learned all about the Reuse Centre!

Look at the awesome upcycled DIY Corkboard I made! It’s now a staple in my daughter’s bedroom to hang her jewelry!