GIBSONTON, Fla. — Earth Day is April 22 so it’s worth taking a look at an innovative program recently launched in Hillsborough County that embodies the old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
It’s a first-of-its-kind partnership with Goodwill, and it’s saving space in the county landfill while also helping people in the community. For the past few months, Byron True has been bringing his recyclables to Hillsborough’s South County solid waste facility.
“We’ve probably been out here 10 to 15 times,” True said.
It’s there that Hillsborough County has teamed up with Goodwill. The charity provides full-time staffers – who at the very last minute – collect reusable items that were about to make their way into the landfill.
“You know, it makes me feel great,” True said. “I’m glad that County is taking the initiative to do something as simple, yet as impactful as this.”
“Books, you know – tables, I mean, it runs the gamut,” Goodwill’s Chris Bakay said.
Bakay says it’s a win for everyone. People looking to get rid of stuff. People who need that stuff. And then, of course, the people who benefit from Goodwill programs once the items are sold.
They say 89 percent of their operating budget goes into mission services like adult literacy and housing for the elderly.
“It makes us feel great because we know that our mission has been accomplished," he said. "Lifelong learning on the power of work in our community. We’re making a difference all by something that’s just so easy as, oh, from here, maybe I’ll go over here. That’s it."
“We don’t know of any other franchise of Goodwill that is doing something like this,” Danny Gallagher, Hillsborough County’s Recycling Coordinator, said.
Gallagher says in its first seven months, the program has been a huge success.
“With this program, since its inception, we have diverted over 24,000 pounds of material that would’ve ended up in the landfill," he said. "We had over 500 donors and over 8,000 items, individual items, actually donated, so without this program, this would’ve all ended up in the landfill or in the waste energy facility.”
“It’s that easy to affect change in our community,” Bakay said, “So, it’s a great program. We are really proud of it.”
“It’s one of the best ideas I’ve heard for the environment in a long time,” True said.
There’s already been so much success with the pilot program in Hillsborough County, that there is talk of expanding it to another community collection center in the near future.
Goodwill franchises are also having discussions with other landfills around the state that would have their own collection centers as well.
The program operates Monday through Saturday.