Swap Til You Drop

“Swap shops” at local transfer stations serve an important purpose. By providing the opportunity for residents to drop off items they no longer need, from clothing to books and CDs, and for other residents to repurpose those items, an untold amount of tonnage is kept from the solid waste stream. That in turn saves towns money in disposal costs. 

 These operations have been underway for decades with varying amounts of success. Their importance is growing as more emphasis is placed on the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra as a tool to help reduce waste. But relying largely on volunteers, swap shop hours are limited as are the times of year most can be open. Those limits likely cause many residents to toss out items that they might otherwise drop at the swap shop.

 We applaud the volunteers who staff swap shops, and it seems unfair to ask them to brave the Cape Cod winter to keep the exchanges open year-round. With the exception of Harwich’s Treasure Chest, most are run out of unheated (or barely heated) sheds and rely on outside storage to accommodate the volume of material residents deposit. Given the importance of reducing waste, it seems prudent for local towns to consider adding staff to oversee swap shops. Another alternative could be for the towns surrounding Harwich — Chatham, Brewster, Orleans, perhaps even Dennis — to contribute toward hiring a staffer for the Treasure Chest in exchange for giving residents of those towns access to the operation. The cost per town would be minimal, and could be offset by further reductions in solid waste disposal costs.

 A pretty radical idea, we understand. But this type of regional cooperation is needed more and more these days, especially as we are overwhelmed with “stuff” and each town deals with the impacts of climate change, which knows no boundaries. 

 In the meantime, residents holding onto items until their swap shop opens in the spring should consider alternatives. Clothing and household items donated to the Family Pantry of Cape Cod help neighbors in need. Local libraries all have book sales that depend on donations to supplement operating budgets. There are many thrift shops run by area churches which would welcome all sorts of items. Utilizing these options will help keep material out of the waste stream and provide a benefit to the community while we wait pensively for the spring opening of our favorite swap shop.