PreCycle Day

PreCycle Day is a Worthington-wide, curbside, free exchange of re-usable items.

Goals and Planning Elements of PreCycle

The goals of PreCycle Day are:

  • keep re-usable items from the landfill and recycle stream;
  • save the energy required to process trash and recycled items;
  • unclutter that garage, back bedroom, closet and basement;
  • save yourself and your neighbors from spending money to buy those items in a store;
  • save energy and resources that won't be spent to manufacture new instances of the items you retrieve;
  • connect with your neighbors;
  • make Worthington a better place to live;
  • celebrate Earth Day!

Key planning elements include:

  • ensuring no local neighborhood/community rules are being violated by having the event,
  • getting enough residents setting out enough re-usables,
  • getting enough "shoppers" to show up.

History of Worthington PreCycle Day

The idea was first mentioned in a discussion in July 2009 among Sustainable Worthington (SW) members who were chatting via a SW mailing list focusing on recycling - "we should have a freecycle community garage sale. only free items". In September, another SW member emailed about wanting to find a home for some shoes. Then, in October, a few SW members discussed it with a city council person during a Simply Living luncheon. After that, a SW member researched some similar efforts in other US communities. She also spoke with Worthington's City Manager and member of Worthington's Department of Public Service and garnered their strong support for the idea. In December and January, a group of 4 SW members formed the SW PreCycle Planning Group, and met three times to define specific strategies and steps to make PreCycle Day happen. That group met with staff from the Public Service Department to iron out details related to city support.

In February, the Planning Group presented its plan for the event to Worthington City Council along with words and memo of support from city staff. Council unanimously approved a resolution instructing city staff to support preparation for the event. The two local community newspapers reported Council's approval (and later published reminder articles the week before the event).

The planning group expanded to about 8 SW members and preparations proceeded until the day of the event. Preparations included: email announcements, creating and distributing 300 handbills door to door and 300 via free handout kiosk at Old Worthington Library; design, paint and post a 4ftX5ft sign displayed on the Village Green two weeks prior to event. The city of Worthington printed and displayed seven signs along neighborhood gateway streets.

How to Start a PreCycle Event

We certainly hope that more PreCycle events take root beyond the City of Worthington. Similar events occurred in other places prior to Worthington's first PreCycle Day.

With a bit of research and preparation, a PreCycle event may be possible in your neighborhood/community. Like several successful community events in smaller cities (Worthington's population is about 14,000), PreCycle Day can be launched if a few residents commit to and execute some key organizing. In larger cities, the event might not need to be city wide, but it would need to involve some minimal number of neighborhoods to generate enough stuff and enough "shoppers" to ensure that most items are taken. We do not have a good sense of what those minimal numbers are. We would appreciate learning of other places that have similar events.

What other communities have events like Worthington's PreCycle Day? We did not look extensively. We know that Beaconsfield Quebec (population 19,000 - a west suburb of Montreal) has one (since 2007 or 2008 - see www.westislandchronicle.com/Tennis/2009-05-14/article-634211/Beaconsfield-treasure-hunt/1). Also, we've been told a neighborhood in one of the boroughs of New York City has had one for years. Search the internet for "National Curb Day", which (probably) began in 2009. Salt Lake City was an early benchmark - SLC held an annual city-wide clean out day which is a bit different than PreCycle's goals.

We estimate that for the first Worthington PreCycle Day, a total of 150 to 200 volunteer hours of effort was spent. Most of this time came from about six SW members. City staff spent a few hours preparing.

The key thing is a few people (probably residents) doing most of the prep. The major preparation steps are 1) ensuring the legality of setting stuff at curbside, 2) adequately advertising the event to potential participants and 3) educating participants about how to handle leftovers (after the event ends). Most residents experienced very few leftovers. The SW website goes into a lot of detail about how SW encouraged residents to not dispose of leftovers as trash, but SW also ensured that the trash pickup service was OK if some people wanted to properly leave leftovers out for trash pickup (timed to be the day after the PreCycle event). In Worthington, we have the good fortune to have enough residents eager to participate, good local papers to tell about the event (before and after), and very supporting city staff and leaders.

2010 PreCycle Day in Worthington

Results from the 2010 PreCycle Day

This information is being collected and will be published here soon.

Below is all of the information published on this webpage before the 2010 PreCycle Day.

PreCycle Day - 6pm Wednesday, April 21, 2010, until 8pm Thursday, April 22.
Curbside throughout the City of Worthington, Ohio.

PreCycle Day - reuse, repair, retrieveRetrieve, Repair and Reuse!! Tell Your Neighbors!!

How to participate

Join Worthington residents in a city-wide free exchange of reusable, no-longer-needed items, at curbside in front of your homes. It's easy! Here's how:

  • Set out re-usable items (not trash) and then check out other offerings in your neighborhood.
  • Residents within the City of Worthington are eligible to set out re-usable items for PreCycle Day - some exceptions apply; so, see details in the "Eligibility" section below.
  • Please keep items neat and orderly.
  • All treasures that you claim are in an "as is" condition. No perishable items permitted.
  • PreCycle Day is not a garage sale. Everything is free and is located curbside or in driveways or front lawns along the sidewalks.
  • To help neighbors recognize your PreCycle items, consider downloading, printing and posting this FREE PreCycle sign beside your PreCycle items.

Remember, PreCycle Day is not a garage sale. If you wish to conduct a garage sale on PreCycle Day, please remember that you must obtain a garage sale permit ($2) at City Hall, and that all garage sale items must be kept separate from PreCycle items.

If you set out items for PreCycle Day, consider minimizing confusion between PreCycle items and trash for pickup on Friday, by delaying setting out your trash for Friday pickup until after you end your participation in the PreCycle event. If you posted any PreCycle signs, please remove them.

We strongly recommend that you retrieve your "leftover" reusable items from the roadside (instead of packaging the leftovers for trash pickup). Please contact these organizations or your favorite charity to get your re-usable leftovers into the hands of people who will put them to good use.

If you live in an apartment or condominium within Worthington, please check with your property manager before setting out reusable items for PreCycle Day.

Why participate in PreCycle Day?

You will:

  • keep re-usable items from the landfill and recycle stream;
  • save the energy required to process trash and recycled items;
  • unclutter that garage, back bedroom, closet and basement;
  • save yourself and your neighbors from spending money to buy those items in a store;
  • save energy and resources that won't be spent to manufacture new instances of the items you retrieve;
  • connect with your neighbors;
  • make Worthington a better place to live;
  • celebrate Earth Day!

Eligibility - Who can set stuff out for PreCycle

Question: Does where you live determine whether you are eligible to set out stuff on PreCycle Day?

    Answer: If you live within the City of Worthington and your trash is picked up under the City's Rumpke trash pickup contracted service, then you are eligible to set out re-usable items to be taken by neighbors on PreCycle Day.

Q: What does Rumpke trash pickup have to do with setting stuff out for PreCycle Day? Is PreCycle Day run by Rumpke? Are you supposed to set stuff out on "trash day"? Are you supposed to leave all of your leftover re-usables (the stuff that is not taken during PreCycle Day) out for Rumpke to take on trash day?

    A: Rumpke is not involved with the PreCycle Day event. Sustainable Worthington created PreCycle Day as a way to get re-usable items into the hands of people who will use them, because ensuing re-use is more sustainable than stuff being unused. One of Sustainable Worthington's PreCycle goals is to decrease the amount of re-usable items that go into the landfill. If any of the re-usable items that you set out for PreCycle Day are not taken on PreCycle Day, Sustainable Worthington encourages you to retrieve them from your curb and find a "home" for them (see At the end of PreCycle Day...). Still, Sustainable Worthington realizes that residents have the right to choose to set such leftovers out for trash pickup, following the regulations for such trash pickup as noted elsewhere in the document. Trash pickup day for Worthington residents served by the City's contract with Rumpke occurs the day after the PreCycle event ends. Sustainable Worthington confirmed that the City of Worthington approves of such residents' PreCycle leftovers being properly set out for trash pickup by Rumpke as contracted by the City of Worthington, should such residents choose to set leftovers out for trash pickup.

    If you are not served through the City of Worthington's Rumpke trash pickup contract but wish to participate in PreCycle day and want to set out leftovers for pickup by your trash pickup contract service, be advised that due to lack of sufficient volunteer resources, Sustainable Worthington did not seek confirmation whether such trash pickup services approve of picking up PreCycle leftovers. It is for this reason that Sustainable Worthington only supports the setting out of re-usable items for the PreCycle event by residents served by the City of Worthington's Rumpke trash pickup service.

    If you are not served by the City of Worthington's Rumpke trash pickup contract, please determine whether your trash pickup service supports setting out of PreCycle leftovers on your trash day.

Q: Can I set out re-usables for PreCycle Day if I live within the City of Worthington in an apartment or a condominium?

    A: In apartments of 4 or more living units, the City's trash pickup contract does not serve such apartment residents. Separately, some condominiums within Worthington may have restrictions that prevent setting re-usable items out for PreCycle Day. If either of these situations applies to you, please check with your property manager or condo association before setting out reusable items for the PreCycle event.

Spreading the word about PreCycle Day

On your own, please spread the word about PreCycle Day to your Worthington neighbors. You can also download, then print and distribute FREE full-page flyers and quarter-page handbills.

For the 2 weeks before PreCycle Day, Sustainable Worthington plans to place a sign about PreCycle Day on the Village Green. If you would like to help with creating this sign or with other publicity activities, please Contact Us.

The Worthington Public Service Department has graciously agreed to place PreCycle signs at entrances to Worthington neighborhoods, similar to signs they place to notify of Fall Leaf Pickup. We gratefully acknowledge advice and support from the Worthington Public Service Department.

At the end of PreCycle Day...

We strongly recommend that you retrieve your "leftover" reusable items from the roadside (instead of packaging the leftovers for trash pickup). Please contact these organizations or your favorite charity to get your re-usable leftovers into the hands of people who will put them to good use.

If you wish any PreCycle leftovers to be picked up during Friday trash pickup, please bundle those leftovers according to the rules for regular trash pickup. Those rules can be found at http://www.conwaygreene.com/worthington.htm including sections 945.01 (Definitions) and 945.08 (Container Requirements). Note that any items set out for trash pickup that are not picked up must be removed by 6pm Saturday.

More Information

For questions or more information regarding PreCycle Day, please Contact Us.