Goodwill Donation Center Opening at Northern Landfill

A full service Goodwill donation center will be replacing the Swap Shop at the Northern Landfill Recycling Center on Rt. 140. The Swap Shop will see its last day on April 29 and the Goodwill collection site will start taking donations at the Northern Landfill on May 2, according to a news release. 

“We are proud to partner with Carroll County and look forward to forming a strong relationship. With the opening of our Donation Center we have the opportunity to create new jobs in our community during this tough economy,” said Leigh Sauter, director of marketing Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley, in a news release.

According to its website, Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and entrepreneur. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then hired and trained those who were poor to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out” was born.

There are a few items that will not be accepted as donations because of the expense to dispose of them properly. These include:

• Broken, torn, stained, odorous furniture 
• Hazardous material framing supplies
• Appliances

“When you donate items you no longer need to Goodwill, you are helping someone find a job, strengthening your community and preserving the planet,” said Sauter in the news release. “Your donations also help the environment by allowing other people to repurpose the items so they can be diverted from our landfill.”

The hours of operation for the Northern Landfill, 1400 Baltimore Boulevard, Westminster, are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For additional information, call Carroll County Government Recycling Operations at 410-386-2035.