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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.
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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!
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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!
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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 – Twon 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.
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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.
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Following is a directory of Vacaville businesses that buy, sell and/or repair used merchandise. For additional information about resale businesses in Vacaville and neighboring communities, check out Rummaging Through Northern California at http://www.sonic.net/~rtnc/index.html, or visit the Internet Resale Directory at www.secondhand.com.
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 kholmes@ci.vacaville.ca.us".
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Bygone Shoppe
Antiques |
143 McClellan
Vacaville |
(707) 449-3575 |
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Quality Used Appliance
Sells and repairs used appliances |
877 Merchant St.
Vacaville |
(707) 451-1573 |
AAA Appliance Repair
Sells and repairs used appliances |
133 Carlsbad Circle
Vacaville |
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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
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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
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Bounty Books
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857 Merchant St.
Vacaville |
(707) 451-4770 |
Vacaville Public Library
Lends books, tapes, CDs and other materials |
1020 Ulatis Dr.
Vacaville |
(707) 449-6290 |
Wordsworth Used Books
Sells used hardback and paperback books |
637 Merchant St.
Vacaville |
(707) 452-9022 |
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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.
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Vehicle Donation Hotline
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(800) 322-9056 |
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Once Upon a Child
Sells secondhand children's clothing, accessories |
2041B Harbison Dr.
Vacaville |
(707) 448-1212 |
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There are eight 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.
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Hollywood Video
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671 Elimra |
Vacaville |
KFC
|
980 Alamo Dr. |
Vacaville |
McDonalds Glass & Mirror
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907 Merchant St. |
Vacaville |
Platt Electrical Supply
|
186 Bella Vista Rd. |
Vacaville |
Quick Way Gas
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401 Merchant Street. |
Vacaville |
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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 |
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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
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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 |
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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.
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Wonder-Hostess Bakery
Sells day-old bread, baked goods |
117 Peabody St.
Vacaville |
(707) 451-9026 |
Entenmann's Oroweat Bakery Outlet
Sells day-old bread, baked goods |
953B Alamo Drive
Vacaville |
(707) 455-7756 |
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A Master's Touch
Repairs furniture |
1866 Southwood Dr.
Vacaville |
(707) 449-3662 |
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Valley Maintenance
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875 Cotting Lane
Vacaville |
(707) 449-8563 |
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B&J Drop Box Landfill
Accepts non-reusable scrap wood, poles, timber |
Vacaville |
(707) 678-4718 |
Recycle Zone
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Fairfield |
(707) 437-1301 |
West Coast Landscape Supply
Buys and sells used railroad ties |
5119 Quinn Rd.
Vacaville |
(707) 447-4880 |
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B&J Drop Box Landfill
Accepts all scrap metals |
Vacaville |
(707) 678-4718 |
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Live Music Center
Sells new and used musical instruments |
983 Alamo
Vacaville |
(707) 448-1511 |
ROC Instruments
Salvage and buys stringed instruments, amplifiers and FX pedals
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(707) 685-2797 |
The Tweed Hut
Sells new and used guitars and amplifiers |
1021 Hume Way, Suite H
Vacaville
website
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(707) 447-5515 |
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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.
Five-gallon buckets of recycled paint are available to residential customers for FREE Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The paint has been reconstituted and tinted either beige or gray to create recycled paint. Nonprofit organizations and churches also are welcome to participate. Recycled paint is not available to commercial businesses or professional painters.
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.
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Ken's Buy & Sell
Buys and sells used merchandise |
311 Merchant St.
Vacaville |
(707) 447-8718 |
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Vacaville Shoe Repair
Repairs shoes |
645 Merchant St.
Vacaville |
(707) 447-7776 |
Frenchies Boot & shoe repair
Repairs shoes |
153 Peobody Road
Vacaville |
(707) 447-0346 |
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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 |
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Hay Road Landfill
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Vacaville |
(707) 678-4718 |
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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.
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