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Regional Salvage Centre gives back

Community charities are benefiting from items saved from the landfill. The Salvage Centre, located at the Foothills Regional Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre site, donated close to $148,000 to local organizations in the past year.
Okotoks Salvage Centre manager Candice Dupre on Apr. 5. While the Salvage Centre charges for the donated items, it gives surplus revenue back to various local charities.
Okotoks Salvage Centre manager Candice Dupre on Apr. 5. While the Salvage Centre charges for the donated items, it gives surplus revenue back to various local charities.

Community charities are benefiting from items saved from the landfill.

The Salvage Centre, located at the Foothills Regional Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre site, donated close to $148,000 to local organizations in the past year.

Operated by the Foothills Salvage and Recycling Society, the centre collects and household items brought by Foothills residents, selling them at about 10 per cent their market value. Revenue covers staff and operations costs, and any surplus is split between community groups.

Society vice-chair Matt Rockley said there are two goals for the operation of the Salvage Centre – to divert good materials away from the landfill and to support local charitable organizations.

“It’s pretty easy, if you’re heading that way, if you’ve cleaned out the basement or the garage and you’ve got some usable items you can drop them off there for free,” said Rockley. “It’s a donation of those items that will turn into a donation to charity.”

Groups in need of funding fill out application forms to the society, he said, and at the end of the year the surplus revenue is divided between several organizations.

This year, 13 charities, including the Okotoks Food Bank, the Salvation Army, the Boys and Girls Club and Rowan House, were supported by funds from the Salvage Centre, totalling $100,000.

The Salvage Centre also provides donations to charities chosen by its volunteers, which amounted to about $48,000 last year.

“People can accumulate their volunteer hours over the year and then choose what charity they would like to direct their volunteer hours revenue to,” said Rockley. “Because of that, we have a wide variety of organizations that receive funding.”

When it first opened in the late 1990s, the Salvage Centre was volunteer-driven and acted more as a swap, where people could drop off their items and take home other items free of charge, he said.

As it grew in popularity, it made sense to hire staff and to begin running the centre like a retail business, he said.

“It’s great not only to be able to provide employment opportunities for people, but to be able to direct funds back into so many local charities that really gives a boost to so many,” said Rockley.

With other changes to waste management around the corner, like the potential development of a regional Materials Recycling Facility, he said the Salvage Centre is playing a key role in environmental efforts in the Foothills region.

“It’s becoming part of the evolution as it becomes more important in society to be finding a second life for so many items and not just throwing them away after one-time or gentle use,” said Rockley.

Current Foothills Salvage and Recycling Society chair Joe Bracken has been involved with the Salvage Centre for five years, and enjoys seeing the proceeds going toward local organizations.

“We’re not in this to make money, it’s just part of what we do,” said Bracken. “The Salvage Centre has a pretty good history of giving back to the community.”

In addition to the annual donations, he said the centre also provides vouchers to families in need who may be working with a local agency who writes a letter of request on their behalf.

“They’ll get a voucher for about $500,” said Bracken. “That’s a really nice way to give back, too. It’s great to be so involved in the community and play this necessary role.”

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