The Institution Recycling Network (IRN) reached a milestone last month with its surplus property program, surpassing 30 million pounds of furniture and equipment shipped to U.S. and overseas relief organizations.
Concord, N.H.-based IRN works with universities, hospitals and schools across the country to promote recycling. Its surplus program assists organizations to keep usable furniture and equipment out of landfills and into the hands of needy families and communities.
Last month alone, IRN shipped more than 1.6 million pounds of surplus that filled 105 tractor-trailers for 25 projects in 12 states.
“Throwing surplus away is a waste, environmentally, socially and financially,” Dana Draper, IRN’s head of operations, said in a statement. “We know that people want to do the right thing with their surplus, but they can’t afford to if it’s going to cost more or take a lot of time and effort. When we match their surplus with people who really, desperately need it, and make that easier and cheaper than the dumpster, it’s a solution where everybody wins.”
IRN’s surplus program began 10 years ago and has helped 53 different charities, including small metropolitan furniture banks and homeless shelters and large international nonprofit groups such as Food for the Poor and Feed the Children. The organization’s surplus has been distributed in 48 countries on five continents.
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Shawn Wright