SCRAP B-More, located in Pigtown, has a few goals in mind. Encourage creativity, and repurpose unwanted items into new uses.
"This is materials just out of people's homes because we all have a bit of a buying problem," says Nancy Hotchkiss, Site Director of SCRAP B-More.
According to Hotchkiss, the nonprofit receives donations from the community and sells them to creatives.
This intercepts the waste that's going to landfills.
"First part is sustainability, trying to keep as much as we can out of the landfill. We don't want people throwing stuff away when people can use it," Hotchkiss says.
According to the EPA, the US recycles about 30% of its waste. This means 70% ends up in landfills. Since its opening in 2016, Hotchkiss says, "We are probably well over 80 tons of material we have diverted from the landfill."
SCRAP B-More also fills the gap of creative desserts. Since the closure of Joanne's Fabric store, SCRAP B-More also serves as a place for creatives to find the materials they need.
"That way there's not like a price barrier to entering it. I mean, the best art is made by anybody who can get their hands on something to make it," says Yates Godfrey, SCRAP B-More volunteer.
Godfrey says SCRAP B-More aligns with the way he lives.
"I'm all for reuse; I love reuse. I'm the kind of person that fixes everything I own and don't throw anything out, so it's kind of an extension of what I'm already doing."
Nancy says for people who are trying to save the environment and a couple of bucks-- SCRAP B-More is a place to start.
"When you're talking with people about 'What can you do?' this is truly a ground-level thing," says Hotchkiss.
