Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City is well known for its mission of bringing people together to create, preserve, and promote affordable homeownership and to advance racial equity in housing. But you might be surprised to learn how shopping and donating to our five ReStore locations helps divert 6.8 million pounds of usable material from being thrown in landfills.
ReStore’s Earth-Saving Purpose — Diverting from Landfills
Habitat KC ReStore, with five locations across the greater Kansas City metro, provides our shoppers with new and gently used home improvement products and building materials. From lighting, furniture, doors, windows, appliances, cabinets, and tools, it’s the perfect place to shop for deals on small projects or your upcoming home remodel.
ReStore outlets are open to the public like any retail store but have a few BIG differences compared to big box stores. The first is that ReStore is a non-profit. All sales help fund Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City’s affordable housing programs.
Another huge difference is ReStore’s operating model is built upon sustainability.
- When items are donated, you’re REDUCING the amount of waste and the need to manufacture new items.
- When you shop, you’re REUSING things that still have value.
- Many items can also be diverted from landfills by RECYCLING them. Our stores break down non-salable items to be recycled, or DIY-ers upcycle things into something new.
6.8 million pounds were diverted from landfills in 2022
Generous donations from people like you have expanded this effort starting in 2000 when the first Habitat KC ReStore opened in the East Bottoms! In 2022, over 26,000 donations were made, and more than 155,878 shoppers visited ReStore to make it all happen. We thank you for your support!
Recycled paint has come a long way
ReStore has partnered with Evolve Paint — made from 50% recycled post-consumer paint, Evolve reduces landfill dumping and pollution. Brooke Wrisinger, the Vice President of Habitat KC ReStore, shared, “The quality of recycled paint has seen incredible advancements. When you purchase Evolve recycled paint at ReStore, you get great coverage like many brand-name paints for a fraction of the cost, and it’s another step in protecting our environment.”
When it can’t be sold, we recycle it
ReStore volunteers also collect and sort metals that can be recycled from non-salable items. Copper tubing, faucets, and other pieces are broken down and separated into buckets. In 2022, this process delivered $13,690 back to ReStore. Finding value in scraps is just one more way to reuse precious materials.
Even items we don’t accept can find a new home
Being a good steward doesn’t mean we can take every donation, but we may be able to direct you to someone who can.
While gently used beds and bedding seem like a perfect fit for ReStore, it’s an item we’re not allowed to accept. We are thrilled to point donors to SleepyHead Beds, which has kept mattresses out of landfills since 2010. They’re a non-profit organization that takes gently used, donated beds and bedding and distributes them to Kansas City area children and families in need, free of charge. Since its inception, Sleepyhead Beds has repurposed almost 900,000 pounds of beds. That’s nearly 400,000 cubic feet of mattresses not in our local waste stream.
Resupply is another incredible partner to ReStore and the community. A veteran-founded company, they help us with fast turn-around donation pickups and help remove donations from your home and disassemble furniture and bring us the donation. If the items don’t fall under our criteria, they offer your items to multiple charities before responsibly recycling unwanted items.
Make Earth Month last all year long
If you have great recycling or environmentally friendly resources to share, we’d love to hear about them. We hope you make ReStore KC a regular stop when buying home improvement items or donating items you no longer need that have value — even after Earth Month ends.