4 Initiatives

Ending Waste

We teach students about recycling and water conservation. We challenge the single-use culture and promote material reuse at The RE Store. We grow to meet the changing needs of our communities.

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313 metric tons of carbon offset by RE Store operations in 2021. Donate used building materials.

422,393 lbs. of material salvaged in 2021 Call us for your salvage needs.

3,303 K-12 students we taught about waste prevention. Learn about our work in classrooms.

Whether we are outdoors with high school students in rural Whatcom County learning about water stewardship or assisting the thousands of reuse-minded customers who donate to and shop at the RE Store each month, we are working to end waste and wastefulness that harms both the planet and our communities. 

In fact, RE Sources got its start in the 1980s as Bellingham’s first curbside recycling program. We have evolved and grown since then, but at our core we still care deeply about ending waste in our region and beyond. Today our strategy involves diverse programs and practices working with schools, homeowners and businesses throughout our community. 

Working with kids to end waste

Our Educating for the Environment team offers students hands-on tools–such as practical ways to conserve water and energy — all defying wastefulness while catalyzing critical thinking and creative problem solving.

Kindergarteners to high school seniors learn age-appropriate lessons on complex societal and ecological problems relating to waste, such plastic pollution, water and natural resource depletion and conservation, and more. We approach these big issues in a way that honors kids’ right to know about the state of our natural resources and offers them the tools to make a practical difference in their schools and homes.

The RE Store — more than a store

The RE Store may look like a regular thrift store, but behind the scenes we’re an innovative team of problem solvers, working to provide simple solutions to complex issues. We believe that waste is not a tangible item; it’s something we do. Here at The RE Store we use creative reuse, education, and recycling to provide our community with the opportunity to give unwanted items a second chance at life.

Every day we:

  • Provide a location for unwanted materials to be sorted, processed and resold,
  • Educate community members on reuse and recycling alternatives,
  • Inspire residents with easy to tackle DIY projects to reduce reliance on single-use culture,
  • Work with local teachers and groups to educate students on reuse opportunities,
  • Partner with local manufacturers to find alternative uses for manufacturing by-product,
  • Coordinate with contractors to salvage usable materials from buildings,
  • Innovate new uses for discarded materials, turning them into high quality home furnishings,
  • Give everyone the chance to reach their potential by providing on-the-job training.

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Photo © Buff Black