BEND, OR -- Deschutes County holds a first of its kind event in Bend Saturday. Drop It Swap It is a free chance to bring in items that are unwanted but in otherwise good condition, and maybe pick up something else while you're there.
"Puzzles, board games, books, cookbooks would be really great things for people as they are kind of nesting in before the snow flies," The county's Community Engagement coordinator Jackie Wilson tells KBND News electronics, tools, and small kitchen appliances are also welcome, "It's a great way just for folks to think of, 'I'm reducing my environmental footprint, meeting like-minded individuals and hopefully finding some fantastic finds'."
The county's aim is not to compete with resale and thrift stores, just keep items out of the landfill a little longer. "Rethinking our stuff. What do I have in my house? Do I need these things here or do they bring me joy if I don't need them? Let me declutter. And then for other folks that are looking for things affordable ways to find those treasures to put in homes if they need some additional items," Wilson says people can drop off items, and then leave, or wait and pick something out for themselves. People can also look for swap items without donating.
Drop It Swap It is in the parking lot at the county road department building on 27th street in Bend. The Drop is Saturday morning from 9 to 10:30. The Swap starts at noon and goes until 2 PM.
The Solid Waste Department will gauge public response to determine if they will hold more drop and swaps. "From the Department of Solid Waste there are so many things that we see coming into the floor at the transfer stations that are going into the landfill that could have good use. It's really just a way of bringing items in that people might be like, 'well, I'm just going to get rid of it'. You know, that idea of 'just going to throw it away, it goes away' where it goes, is to a landfill," Wilson says adding the idea could scale to larger reuse, reduce, recycle concepts. "What could the future hold at our transfer station with our new landfill? And so, it's just kind of getting a pulse on the community and seeing what this would look like."
