Wellington County officials are hopeful a new website will provide a solution for residents looking for an outlet, other than the garbage, for various items they no longer want or need.
“This is an extension of our reuse centres,” Cathy Wiebe, administration supervisor for the county’s Solid Waste Services department, told Erin council on March 3.
“This is just one more tool at our disposal we hope people will take advantage of to keep items out of the landfill.”
The county’s new website, www.wellington.reuses.com, is like “an online garage sale” or a classified advertising section that’s free to use, Wiebe said. It allows users to post listings of items and materials they wish to get rid of, post requests for items that they need or browse for those currently available in their area.
The website also features a “recyclopedia,” which lists many household items and provides information on how to divert or dispose of them, as well as information on waste diversion services available in the county and beyond.
“The ability of this website is amazing,” Wiebe said, explaining two administrators check postings prior to publication to ensure content meets website criteria.
One of the best parts about the website, she added, is start-up costs were covered by an improvement fund offered by Stewardship Ontario and Waste Diversion Ontario. The county just has to pay an annual operating cost of $1,000.
After a brief tour of the site, councillor Barb Tocher likened it to a “Kijiji or Craigslist for reuse,” which Wiebe said was an accurate comparison.
Wiebe explained users need only to register if they want to post an item, and they can be sure no one knows their contact information unless they themselves provide it to a prospective new owner.
The Wellington website, one of six currently running in Ontario, is part of the Canada Reuses network, a cooperative online exchange system supported by a variety of sponsors and operated by iWasteNot Systems, which supplies software, web-hosting, security, support and training.
Wiebe said the county is not yet marketing or advertising the website, but it will soon. First, officials wanted to make presentations to municipal councils. That included Erin last week and county council on Feb. 25.
