A group of volunteers is collecting trash, creating one-of-a-kind lamps, and turning them into treasure. The lamps are sold, and the proceeds are used to help fund community improvements, such as building skate parks and pump tracks.
Known as the Shady Characters, a group of volunteers meet regularly to create unique lamps from discarded items found at one of four solid waste transfer stations operated by the Upper Sabine Valley (USV) Solid Waste Conservation District. USV transfer station attendants work with volunteers to identify items that would make interesting lamps and separate them from the containers that will be taken to landfills. The items are then taken back to the USV Rehoming Center, where volunteers convert them into lamps, which are then sold to the public. By repurposing items into lamps and rehoming them back into circulation, these items are saved from landfills and reduce the amount of waste entering landfills.
These items are then turned into revenue by selling them at local markets, consignment shops, and online. The profits from the items are placed in a fund used for community improvement projects. One example of how the funds have been used is to help build a community skatepark. Crushed rubble dumped at USV sites is recycled to create the base material for the skate park, and funds from the sale of the lamps help cover the cost of concrete.
Additionally, videos and images of the lamps being made are developed into social media content and shared online for people to enjoy and to spread the message of sustainable living, with a focus on encouraging citizens to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Refurbish, Repair, Repurpose, Rehome, and Recycle. Through this messaging, Shady Characters hopes to spread the sustainability message and encourage behaviors that add less to our landfills.