Home | About Us | Donate | Shop | Get Involved | Programs | Contact

Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteers have been the backbone of ReUse Industries since before we even opened for business. When the farm was purchased in 1994, it had been abandoned for 25 years and was in a terrible state of disrepair. Community volunteers came out in full force to prepare ReUse for operation. ReUse has come a long way in the following years, but one factor remains consistent: the need for volunteers. Members of the community are encouraged to stop by for a hands-on learning experience any day of the week. The second Saturday of each month is designated as Environmental Work Day. If your group or class is interested in learning more about the ReUse community, please call 740-698-8200 or e-mail vista@reuseindustries.org.

Community Partnerships:

ReUse Industries is a community-based organization whose main goals are to aid the economy and environment of southeastern Ohio. As a community-based organization, customer and donor input is extremely important to us.

Residents are encouraged to become active by voicing their opinions and offering their assistance at our committee meetings. We will be hosting meetings that are open to the public on several subjects such as program development, site planning, and environmental issues. We have placed comment cards at all of our locations. Please take a moment to share your comments next time you visit us or e-mail us at vista@reuseindustries.org. By contributing to the sustainability of ReUse Industries, you are also contributing to the sustainability of your local community and environment. Be a part of a positive business experience!

Job Training: As part of the nation's welfare reform agenda, ReUse Industries works in collaboration with multiple county departments of job and family services to provide job training and work experience for low-income citizens seeking to become self-sufficient.

Participants in the Work Experience Program learn every aspect of the reuse business, including transporting, receiving, sorting, cleaning, repairing, stocking, pricing, selling, and banking. Since inception, ReUse has provided job training for more than 100 participating clients.

Job Creation: In a community with a 30% poverty rate, ReUse Industries is governed and operated by low-income workers who use their life experience and skills in the repair and restoration of local resources. ReUse Industries is committed to creating meaningful work for low-income residents of southeast Ohio.

Waste Reduction: ReUse Industries is an environmentally sound alternative to landfilling reusable waste. All materials at ReUse are donated by community businesses and households who are protecting the environment and supporting local jobs with their tax-deductible donations. ReUse Industries handles building materials, appliances, household items, furnishings, equipment, lumber, hardware, and any other reusable with life left in it. Since inception, ReUse has diverted more than 5,000,000 pounds of reusable items away from local landfills.

Service Learning: University and high school classes get hands-on learning experience at ReUse Industries when they volunteer to help build the reuse economy of southeast Ohio. Service learning projects expose these students to a variety of real-life lessons in environmental stewardship, waste management, business development, and Appalachian culture.

Community Restoration: In 1994, ReUse Industries purchased a 20-year abandoned farm with eight buildings and 60 acres of bottomland, rimmed by the beautiful Raccoon Creek. Since then, hundreds of volunteers have renovated the buildings, planted more than 4,000 trees, and continue to develop the property for commercial use, wildlife habitat, and environmental education. During the year 2001, a major renovation project was completed at ReUse including the installation of an environmentally sound peat moss septic system, installation of new plumbing and public restrooms, pouring of new concrete flooring in the primary sales barn, structural enhancements to the main barn, and many other enhancements to the grounds and buildings on the "farm."

Business Partnerships: ReUse Industries builds partnerships with small businesses and entrepreneurs who take advantage of ReUse's low-cost source materials for their independent business niches. Artists, craft workers, builders, repair & service technicians, secondhand stores, collectible dealers, and others collaborate with ReUse Industries in unique, win-win business networks.

ReUse also works closely with area non-profit and governmental organizations to form collaborative service projects. A recent example is ReUse's "PCs to the People" campaign, a joint effort between ReUse Industries, the Athens County Department of Job & Family Services, and Hocking College, whose united mission is to provide low-income residents with access to computers and the internet.