Zero Landfill - Grass Roots Effort in my Own Back Yard

Imagine my surprise finding out from my mom about a pilot program called ZeroLandfill in Akron, Ohio who's main objective is keeping leftover samples previously used by architectural and interior design companies from ever reaching a landfill. An example is shown below.


These leftovers are then provided free to local artists, educators and junkers across the Buckeye state. The best news is the program has been so well received it will continue to grow across the land to other states too!
Check out ZeroLandfill for more information. What a fantastic program!

I am not alone

Over the last several years I've made the discovery there are gads of people like myself that find the rustier an object or the more chippy paint an object has, the more desirable it is. These Junkers are everywhere!

Case in point - last year while driving my kids from an activity, I spotted in somebody's trash a purple mountain bike that would be perfect for my then 7-year-old who had outgrown her bike. When I stopped to pick it up, the homeowner happened to be outside in her driveway so I asked to make sure it was there for the taking. She said absolutely and proceeded to tell me she had gotten it from someone else's trash the previous week. Whoa! Someone just like me!

This nice woman then showed me around her yard and pointed out each and every garden ornament that was trashed by someone else. Her yard alone was a real eye-opener as to how many unnecessary and beautiful items end up in landfills. Pretty ridiculous. She ended up ditching "my daughter's" bike because she said there was a problem with the tire. (Needless to say it just needed air in it). So gladly, after my daughter was finally able to get a brand new bike for her 9th birthday, I gave our trash freebie away to a nice gentleman on Craigslist for his 7-year-old. He picked it up today as a matter of fact.