One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – A Contractor’s Solution

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – A Contractor’s Solution

I don’t know about you but I hate throwing things away that still have value. As a contractor I accumulate building materials, parts, tools, and other things that are perfectly good but I do not use regularly. What do I do with this stuff?

For example, if I were to do a small renovation job in a bathroom, I would have some extra flooring, tiles, maybe the old cabinets, or some

specialty tool. If I still had a use for the items, and plan on using it in the future, I’d save it until then. Otherwise, all the rest would go to the landfill. I have thrown away some perfectly good things because there was no other place to go.

Habitat for Humanity has a retail store that can help me with this problem. Think of this store as a home improvement thrift store. It can be a treasure for many people in need of that one rare item, probably at a discounted cost too.

So if I’m changing the shower doors to a shower, I can donate the old one. They clean it up and sell it to someone who needs a used shower door and not an all new assembly.

Getting new windows, cabinets, sink or toilet? Donate the old one! Apparently, there is a demand for this sort of thing. That baby blue toilet that you are getting rid of is just what someone is looking for.

So check your garage, do you have something that was left over from a “project” that you completed? There is a market for it. The Habitat for Humanity in my community welcomes all donations. It is tax deductible and all proceeds go toward the efforts of Habitat for Humanity. They do some good things for communities all across the nation; check out their web site for more information.

El Dorado County Habitat for Humanity