Helping to divert old furniture waste from the landfills

Never Refuse to Reuse

As stewards of education, St. Clair College is driven to reduce their environmental impact and was motivated to work on a way to divert old furniture waste from the landfills. Through BEST Service Pros dedicated environmental coordinator, we created a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to support their local community by donating over 5 trucks filled with cabinets, chairs, desks, and other furniture during their first pick-up. Along with old furniture, e-waste, old appliances, and broken furniture (for metal stripping) will be donated at Habitat for Humanity’s next pick-up. Previous to this new partnership, St. Clair did not have the resources to move the old furniture from storage to shipping dock for removal. Additionally, St. Clair did not have a furniture donation program or a furniture metal stripping program.

Our environmental coordinator was responsible for coordinating between St. Clair College’s facilities manager, St. Clair’s health, safety, and wellness manager, and Habitat for Humanity. Our environmental coordinator was the main point of contact for Habitat for Humanity regarding any questions or concerns they had. BEST supervised the pick-up to ensure the proper items from storage were being donated and that the Habitat for Humanity team was following the safety precautions. After the pick-up was done, an asset disposal list for the college was completed by our environmental coordinator.

It’s easy to toss away old furniture in the landfill bin but with Habitat for Humanity, it’s easier to donate. Habitat for Humanity organized a team of volunteers prepared with personal protective equipment and insurance. The team of volunteers arranged the furniture from storage to the trucks in a safe manner. As part of this partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the college receives a charitable tax receipt for the value of the donations.

St. Clair’s donation diverts waste from landfills and protects the environment by supporting an organization that will repurpose waste in a responsible and environmentally-friendly way. The College and BEST support Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to build safe, decent, and affordable housing in Windsor-Essex.

“Never Refuse to Reuse” #MyBEST