Have items our ReStore can’t accept?
If your items are in good condition but are items we cannot accept at the ReStore, such as pianos, consider taking photos of the items and offering the items for free on one of many online communities that allow such posts. Your photos can help people understand the condition the item is in, the size, etc. Putting other information on your listing, like the year you think the item was made, if you think it’s an antique, the size of such, if it was in a non-smoking environment, etc. can also be helpful. In your listing, note what city you are in (but never, ever post your exact address on any of these communities), say explicitly that the items are being offered free of charge, and note if the item is available for pickup or if you can deliver it.
We recommend offering such items on any of these online communities:
Portland / Washington County Craigslist Free section (under “for sale”)
Buy Nothing Forest Grove (North)/Gales Creek/Verboort (Facebook).
Buy Nothing Forest Grove Central(Facebook).
Buy Nothing Banks/Buxton/ North Plains, OR & Surrounding Area (Facebook)
Note: many of these communities, particularly the “Buy Nothing” groups, have very strict rules about posting. Please follow those directions carefully!
You may want to start a list of responses, in case the first person who says they will pick up the item has to backout, so you can contact the “next in line” and let them know the item is available.
We recommend you use appropriate cautions when giving out your address for someone to pick up the item (having someone else present, for instance).
We also recommend you try some of the places below who may be willing to take an item we cannot at the ReStore:
Community Warehouse: Note that this nonprofit DOES offer pickup services (sliding scale fee)
Goodwill: clothing and household items
Waste Management Transfer Station: electronics and metal recycling that we do not take
S & H Bark and Supply – Cornelius, OR: yard debris, concrete, porcelain, and wood debris recycling
Farwest Recycling: cardboard, newsprint, metal and electronics recycling