Swap Shop Stories
 Before the origination of Convenience Centers in Rutherford County, there were collections of “green-boxes” throughout the county. They were un-manned, expensive to service and did not encourage recycling. The tradition was, if someone had something that was “too good to throw out” they would just put it on the ground outside the boxes - it was not a good system but it proves that people, given the chance, don’t want to waste good stuff.
 There are now 10 Convenience Centers in Rutherford County for county residents to dispose of trash, white goods, furniture and metal, plus recycle paper, cardboard, computers, cans and bottles. (Locations can be seen in the *how to recycle in Rutherford County page.) Beginning in 2005, SWEEP found grant money to put up Swap Shops, which gave individuals a place to put those items that were not quite ready for the dump. Fellow citizens are then welcome to take whichever items interest them, all for free. It is estimated that each Swap Shop keeps about 1,000 pounds out of the landfill per week, which translates into a pay-back period of only 8 months.
 There are currently five Swap Shops, located at Gilkey, Golden Valley, Shiloh, Bill's Creek, and Pea Ridge Convenience Centers. They are open any time that the Convenience Centers are open.
Money to buy the Swap Shop has come from three sources so far: Rutherford County, the State of North Carolina, and our local Wal-Mart.
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Did You Know?There are hundreds of books and websites out there offering crafty solutions to waste problems. Have an old t-shirt? Don't throw it away! Make a reusable shopping bag out of it, or a quilt, or a rug, or whatever else you can think of. Where to Now?Wouldn't it be great if this waste wasn't around to begin with? Learn how you can reduce your waste.
To learn more about how SWEEP works as an organization, read our by-laws.
To understand where SWEEP comes from, read our history.
We've got an assortment of handouts that you are welcome to download and distribute. The more the better, really.
To become a member of SWEEP, or just voice your opinion, contact us.
Return to the SWEEP Homepage.
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