'One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure': Swap Shed Opened Wednesday in Woonsocket: First in Rhode Island

WOONSOCKET, RI—Woonsocket opened a swap shed on Wednesday, and it's the first one in Rhode Island, according to the mayor's office.

Located at the City of Woonsocket’s Recycling Facility, 943 River St., the shed will be supervised by the Department of Solid Waste.

“Woonsocket is leading the way with this innovative municipal program,” said Krystal Noiseux, Resource Recovery’s Education and Outreach Manager. “One man’s trash is surely another man’s treasure, and the Swap Shed is a fantastic way to keep valuable materials out of the landfill, and circulating in our economy, longer.”

Students from the Woonsocket Area Career and Technical Center constructed the shed and were on hand for the opening site visit held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

“The City of Woonsocket has worked hard to promote a culture of recycling in our community,” said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. “Our Swap Shed will facilitate the reuse of household goods while reducing waste and promoting recycling. The students and administration at the Woonsocket Area Career and Technical Center deserve a sincere thank you for their fine craftsmanship that residents of Woonsocket will benefit from. Our Department of Solid Waste has done a great job in overseeing this project and the City’s overall recycling efforts.”

Cities and towns in Rhode Island are encouraged to increase local recycling through rebates provided by Resource Recovery. The goal of the community Swap Shed is to introduce a low cost option that will expand the public’s awareness of the City’s recycling efforts and to offer an added resource within the community, the mayor's office said.

Other communities have used them for years. Swap sheds solve a problem for cities and towns dealing with with too much reusable stuff that lands in the garbage collection and ultimately in the landfill. Rather than throw tools and household goods away, people can donate them to the shed and save a neighbor some money.

Typically, tools, small household goods, and plastic items would exchanged at swap sheds

It's "part of an effort to reduce municipal waste disposal fees and promote its community-wide recycling program," said Blake Collins, the city's public relations coordinator.

The Woonsocket Swap Shed will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:15 p.m, and on Saturdays from 8 to 11:45 a.m. The Swap Shed will be monitored by an attendant and is available to Woonsocket residents.