Residents May be Able to 'Swap' Goods at Transfer Station

We've all heard the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." It's a cliche, yes, but it fits perfectly here as it's the impetus behind an idea to bring a Municipal Swap Shop to Oxford.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Anna Rycenga wants the town to consider offering the swap shop at the Public Works Transfer Station. 

"A swap shop is like a garage sale where everything is free," she said in a letter to town officials. "Many communities with solid waste or recycling transfer stations have swap shops. The swap shop is usually a barn, shed or other type of building where residents may take or leave reusable household items."

Those items could include lamps, chairs, books, electronics, picture frames, bed frames, vacuums, tables, toys, kitchen ware, pots, pans, sports equipment, bikes, baby items, etc.

The swap shop would be located  in a dedicated building at the public works location. Rycenga suggests adding a temporary structure at least at the beginning so they can see whether this idea works, which she believes it will. She said she visited a swap shop site in Darien, where the program works well. And she is helping to propose a swap shop in Westport, where she currently lives and serves on a land use board.

She said the program would pay for itself because Oxford would save money on solid waste pickup fees. 

On top of being good for residents, Rycenga said it's good for the environment, as well. 

The program is essentially run by volunteers with help from DPW employees to keep it clean and organized. 

"An incentive for people to volunteer, on top of helping their community, is they get the first pick at the items donated to the swap shop," she said.

Rycenga also told town officials that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection endorses the idea. A quick review of the DEEP website indicates she is right. The DEEP site says: 

Many communities with solid waste or recycling transfer stations have Swap Shops, a barn, shed or other building where residents may take or leave useable household items. Contact your local recycling coordinator to learn if you have a Swap Shop in your community. If not, encourage them to do so.  It can become a hub for community activity! Swap Shops should be in a dedicated area, shed or building at the Transfer Station. Learn more by reading CET’s Swap Depot Starter Kit. 

Town conversation: How do you feel about the proposed swap shop? Would you enjoy having such a program in town? Tell us in the comments section.