Zero Landfill is one of my favorite groups. I LOVE it. Now that we have been in the business long enough to collect a shelf of binders, a stack of samples and a pile of catalogs, I am amazed at what sales reps have to deal with. Not only do they have to keep these things up to date, but they need to be shuttled about and shipped around. Many of these poor reps have piles of these in their homes or cars, and when the company updates them, what do they do with the old ones? What about the carpet samples that are no longer available? Laminate chips, flooring samples, fabric swatches, binders, tile…often these become landfill fodder. But a great group was formed a few years ago. Michael Dungan is the guy that I know that is key to this organization. His idea is that why should all this stuff fill a landfill, when there are artists who could tap into this and create great art? I was turned onto Zero Landfill in the first year by Christy Grey at the Red Dot Project. It was held in a parking lot. Architects, designers and reps brought their samples out and artists culled what they could to stop it from being thrown out. Since that first year, a lot has changed.
Since inception, Zero landfill has diverted tons of material from the landfills. In the meantime, they have provided free materials to artists and others in Cleveland. I caught up with Jonathan Sin-jin Satayathum there. Jonathan is the designer who did the decor for the Greenhouse Tavern on E 4th Street. He and another friend of mine, David Fox have been volunteering there for a few years now. Jonathoan was able to rescue a plie of prfectly good carpet squares for use in the Greenhouse Tavern. Re purposing always out trumps recycling! There are pollination days and harvesting days. One Friday is pollunating (drop off) and the following is harvest (pick up). So if you have materials that might be usable for artists or even repurposed like carpet squares, check out the site for directions. If you are an artist, or great reuser, drop by next week for a chance at some goodies! Last week i picked up a couple large carpet samples, one is a new mat by the front door and one is a cat scratcher. I was shocked to see boxes of tiles. There were enough for a kitchen floor! There were stacks of art books and work books. This made one local art teacher a happy man! It will be a great way to enrich the imaginations of his students this fall. There were stacks of wall paper sample books. The paper would be great for homemade card projects or envelopes. I wish I was a crafter! Some were so pretty they would make great art all by themselves in a nice frame. This was just a few of the items that were there last week. Come buy and pick up stuff for your next project!
And no matter who you are, Zero Landfill could use volunteers. Those samples often come in a book and must be removed so the cardboard backing will be recycled. Everything is arranged and weighed when it comes in, so pollinate days are a great time to help out! Pick up days are crazy, too so drop by and help carry boxes out for your local artists! It is a great group, so come help out. Besides, you never know who you may rub elbows with, though they may be a little dusty!
