Reuse and Smart Shopping

In just two years, City of Vacaville residents have become exceptional recyclers. Now you're ready to take two other steps that help not only the environment, but also your budget: Reuse and Smart Shopping.

We all know what reuse is, and most of us practice it already. You might donate used household items for your church's rummage sale or to a thrift store. You might spend your weekends exploring garage sales or flea markets. You might check out books from the local library, or participate in Vacaville's annual Winter Garb clothing drive. All of these efforts keep material out of our landfill and reduce our demand for new goods—which helps preserve natural resources.

Smart Shopping also is good for your budget and the environment. Smart Shopping means that you make purchases with a conscious effort to choose products and packaging that are environmentally friendly. Some of the fundamentals of Smart Shopping are presented below.

Buy only what you need. If the item is one you use rarely, perhaps you could borrow it from a neighbor or friend. Books, music, movies and other materials are available from the library. Rental services offer an astounding array of products, from heavy equipment and tools, to lawn and garden products, to party supplies such as china and cloth napkins. See your telephone book under "rental" for details.
Choose less packaging. Typically, ten cents of every dollar you spend pays for packaging. Choose products with less packaging and minimize waste. Avoid single-serving products, and look for packaging that's recycled and recyclable. The best packaging will have high post-consumer recycled content. "Post-consumer" recycled materials have been used by the consumer, recycled and returned for a second use—such as newspapers that are recycled into packaging for laundry detergent boxes.
Buy in bulk. For items that won't spoil or that you use in large quantities, bulk products reduce packaging and usually lower your cost per ounce.
Buy recycled. Many products—especially paper products, such as toilet paper, tissues, copy paper and notebook paper—are available with recycled content. Choosing recycled-content paper not only helps protect our forests, but also creates a market for our curbside recycling materials.
Choose reusable, not disposable, products. Some of the many reusable products you can use around your house include cloth napkins, rags (to clean up spills instead of paper towels), dishtowels to dry hands, refillable pens and razor blades, and many others.

Many other Web sites offer excellent suggestions for smart shopping. To get started, visit the two links listed below.

EPA Region 5
http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/seahome/housewaste/src/shopping.htm

West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority
http://www.recyclemore.com/atHome/homestart.html#shopsmart

For ideas on how to practice reuse in Vacaville, please visit our Reuse Directory below. Happy earth-friendly shopping!

Reasons abound for shopping at reuse businesses or repairing your worn possessions. When you shop at resale stores or repair used items, you save not only money, but also the environment, since secondhand goods consume far fewer resources than new products. In addition, most resale and repair stores are owned and operated by local families; shopping at them helps support your neighbors and our local economy. Other reuse businesses, particularly thrift stores, raise funds for local charities.

Secondhand shops, thrift stores and even garage sales also help us find new homes for used goods. You can turn your old clothing, furniture, books and other items into cash or a tax-deductible donation, and keep them out of the landfill, as well. According to a study by UCLA Extension, the average thrift store diverts more than 400 tons of merchandise from landfills each year, while the average residential garage sale diverts more than one-third of a ton.

So help our environment and support local businesses and organizations: reuse and repair!

Your Public Library: The World's Greatest Reuse Institution!

Did you ever think of your local public library as an environmental institution? Well, it is! Most library branches circulate thousands of items each year, practicing reuse on a large scale. And even better, they give you access to books, music, movies and more; all for the nominal cost of a library card!

In addition, the Friends of the Vacaville Library hosts regular sales of used books, finding new homes for good quality reading materials while supporting the library's efforts.

The Vacaville Public Library – Cultural Center is located at 1020 Ulatis Drive. Library hours are:
      Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
      Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
      Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Vacaville Public Library – Town Square is located at 1 Town Square Place Ulatis Drive. Library hours are:
      Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
      Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
      Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
      Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call the library at (707) 449-6290 (Cultural Center), (707) 469-4590 (Town Square), or visit the library's Web site at http://www.solanolibrary.com.

Materials Exchanges: Find a New Home for Old Stuff

Materials Exchanges are another helpful avenue for promoting reuse, particularly among businesses. Materials exchanges are entities designed to help businesses, organizations and individuals find markets for materials they ordinarily discard. These exchanges help businesses and organizations save money by reducing their disposal costs and, in some cases, enabling them to sell unwanted items.

Most materials exchanges are sponsored by public agencies and allow businesses to participate at no cost. Some specialize in particular types of materials, such as building materials, industrial byproducts, or computers and electronics. Many materials exchanges accept a wide variety of items, including byproducts, office furniture and equipment. Materials may be offered for free, or at a significantly discounted cost. Materials exchanges typically include both "available" and "wanted" ads. See the Business Materials section below for two materials exchanges that serves businesses and organizations in Solano County.

For more ideas about how to prevent waste around your home, check out the reuse and repair articles on the Web site of the California Integrated Waste Management Board at http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/wpw/coordinator/articles/WPatHome.htm.

Please note that this directory is for informational purposes only. The City of Vacaville accepts no responsibility for the performance of businesses or organizations listed on this Web site, and makes no representation, either expressed or implied, about their performance or expertise. This guide is not meant to be exclusive or exclusionary in any way. Please e-mail corrections, additions or deletions to City of Vacaville staff at lavrit@ci.vacaville.ca.us".

Bygone Shoppe Antiques	143 McClellan Vacaville	(707) 449-3575

AAA Appliance Repair Sells and repairs used appliances	133 Carlsbad Circle Vacaville	(707) 425-7755
Dan's Appliances Sells and repairs used appliances	1313-B Callen St Vacaville	(707) 451-3772
Ken's Appliance Repair Shop Sells and repairs used appliances	218 ½ Dobbins St. Vacaville	(707) 448-5435

If you do not wish to repair your appliance, you may be able to donate or sell it to a repair shop for parts. Appliances in working condition can be donated to many thrift stores. Please see Donations and Thrift Stores in the listings below.

For additional appliance repair businesses, look in your local phone book under the following headings, or look under the names of particular items you need serviced. You also might look in your newspaper classified ads for repair services, or check the announcements posted at your local hardware store.

Try these listings:

Appliance - small, service & repair
Appliance - major, dealers & service
Refrigeration & freezers, dealers & service
Air conditioning equipment and systems, repair
Washing machines and dryers, service & repair

Bounty Books	857 Merchant St. Vacaville	(707) 451-4770
Vacaville Public Library Lends books, tapes, CDs and other materials	1020 Ulatis Dr. Vacaville	(707) 449-6290

California Materials Exchange (CALMAX) is a free service that helps businesses throughout California find markets for materials they have traditionally discarded.

NapaMax is a free service available to businesses, organizations and individuals in Solano, Napa and Sonoma Counties. NapaMax provides listings of materials businesses want to discard, as well as lists of materials wanted by others.

Vehicle Donation Hotline		(800) 322-9056

Once Upon a Child Sells secondhand children's clothing, accessories	2041B Harbison Dr. Vacaville	(707) 448-1212

There are nine Gaia Clothes and Shoe recycling toters located in Vacaville. The bins are serviced by Campus California TG . In 2004, CCTG collected 71,215 pounds of clothing from the boxes in Vacaville.

EZ Tires	101 Aegean Wy.	Vacaville
Hecho En Mexico	1040 E. Monte Vista, Suite B/C	Vacaville
Hollywood Video	671 Elmira	Vacaville
KFC	980 Alamo Dr.	Vacaville
Mason Valero	900 Mason St.	Vacaville
McDonalds Glass & Mirror	907 Merchant St.	Vacaville
Platt Electrical Supply	186 Bella Vista Rd.	Vacaville
Quick Way Gas	401 Merchant St.	Vacaville
Value Gold & Silver	219 Parker St.	Vacaville

Bowman's Stationers Refills printer toner cartridges	322 Parker St. Vacaville	(707) 447-8430
Goodwill Store Accepts all electronics including televisions and computers	1317 E. Monte Vista Vacaville	(707) 446-8203

To repair computers or electronic equipment, look in the following categories in your local phone book:

Computer service & repair
Electronic motors, repairing
Electronic equipment & supplies, service

Goodwill Donation Station Accepts small appliances, furniture, housewares, clothing	1317 E. Monte Vista Vacaville	(800) 649-4406
Goodwill Donation Station Accepts small appliances, furniture, housewares, clothing	961 Alamo Dr. (behind Save Max) Vacaville	(800) 649-4406

Lions Club International and Lens Crafters "Gift of Sight" program accept donations of old and broken eyeglasses, repair them, and donate them to needy individuals in developing countries. Eyeglasses can be donated at any Lions Club or Lens Crafters store. Check your phone book for locations, or call (800) 541-LENS.

Wonder-Hostess Bakery Sells day-old bread, baked goods	117 Peabody St. Vacaville	(707) 451-9026

A Master's Touch Repairs furniture	1866 Southwood Dr. Vacaville	(707) 449-3662

Valley Maintenance	875 Cotting Lane Vacaville	(707) 449-8563

B&J Drop Box Landfill Accepts non-reusable scrap wood, poles, timber	Vacaville	(707) 678-4718
Recycle Zone	Fairfield	(707) 437-1301
West Coast Landscape Supply Buys and sells used railroad ties	5119 Quinn Rd. Vacaville	(707) 447-4880

B&J Drop Box Landfill Accepts all scrap metals	Vacaville	(707) 678-4718

Live Music Center Sells new and used musical instruments	874 Alamo Vacaville	(707) 448-1511
The Tweed Hut Sells new and used guitars and amplifiers	1021 Hume Way, Suite H Vacaville website	(707) 447-5515

The saying goes "Nothing in life is free," but your neighbors at Vacaville Sanitary Service are here to prove that's not true!

Free household, garden and automotive products are available from Vacaville Sanitary Service, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents may select these items at the Recycling Center, 855½ Davis St. The household, garden and automotive products are turned in by other Vacaville residents and available for reuse.

If you have paint or other household materials to contribute to Vacaville's reuse program, please follow this link to the household hazardous waste section for details on how to turn in these products to Vacaville Sanitary Service.

For questions about dropping off or obtaining these household materials, please call Vacaville Sanitary Service at (707)448-2945.

Ken's Buy & Sell Buys and sells used merchandise	338 Merchant St. Vacaville	(707) 447-8718

Vacaville Shoe Repair Repairs shoes	645 Merchant St. Vacaville	(707) 447-7776

Goodwill Store Sells clothing, housewares, books	1317 E. Monte Vista Vacaville	(707) 446-8203
Northbay Guild Sells housewares, clothing, books	409 Main Vacaville	(707) 451-0462
Opportunity House Shop Sells housewares, clothing, books	640 E. Main St. Vacaville	(707) 446-6246
St. Paul's	120 West St. Vacaville	(707) 448-3244

Hay Road Landfill	Vacaville	(707) 678-4718

Toilets, ceramic sinks and ceramic tiles are accepted at Hay Road Landfill only if all plastic and metal parts are removed. The ceramics are crushed onsite and used for road paving.