Have a Real SWAP Meet Jan 6, 2006 – By James Robert Daniels
Every May, the people of Jefferson County in rural Washington used to gather
for the "SWAP."
This event was not, however, what's known in the suburbs as a "swap meet." It
was a lot better-it was a great thing.
The idea is simple: you give away usable items that you no longer need.
You may have wood left over from a project. The computer that's become
obsolete in your business could still be perfect for writing homework or a
memoir. Your baby has outgrown her crib. Bring them in, socialize, and see
what else is there. It just may be the chair or the tool that you really
need. Take it away. No money ever changes hands.
You don't have to actually swap with anybody, either. You bring what you
have. Look around. When you see what you need, you pick it up. Don't see what
you want? Stick around, as cars and trucks are pulling in all day long this
Saturday.
People have got used to recycling. There's a lot of support for it, such as
curbside pickup in many towns. But reducing and re-using are much more
critical. I got my first microwave oven at the SWAP; two years later, I gave
it away.
My friend Anne walked away one year with two armloads of boards. The oak
would become bookshelf ends. Some went into ornamental pieces for her home.
Then there would be "shelves and things," and finally a little scrap wood to
help keep the home fire bright. She picked up two large windows too, that
would go into her new greenhouse.
The county provided the space for people, picnics and personal
treasure-hunting on the fairgrounds grass in Port Townsend. The town and the
paper mill helped out with expenses, volunteers and vehicles. A local service
that employs disabled persons recycled metal. Local thrift shops picked up
leftover household items. The garbage company paid for the hauling. A
recycling company took unclaimed computers. Volunteers of the county's Solid
Waste Advisory Committee managed the one-day community gathering. They handed
out coupons to waive the fee at the local dump, encouraging people to dispose
of true waste properly.
Unfortunately, this little community's event faded away after ten years of
huge turn-outs. But then, the next year, the first one was held across Puget
Sound in Seattle.
Can a SWAP happen anywhere? Maybe not, if your neighbors shop at a retail
store to remodel-then throw out the kitchen appliances because they're the
wrong color.
On the other hand, if people in your community care enough to organize it,
and if you see the value of re-using good stuff, why not give the SWAP a try?
James Robert Daniels lives in Port Townsend, Washington and is a
freelance writer.
