Last weekend, I took a tour of the Idaho Youth Ranch Warehouse. It’s an extensive operation with the goal of raising money to help kids at risk. But there’s another side to it all. Items are diverted from the landfill. Recyclables are packaged and sent on their way, and goods with value are sold in stores, or to brokers.
The top donation to the Idaho Youth Ranch is clothing. More clothing than they can ever sell in stores, but the donations are still valuable. Clothes that aren’t chosen for retail, or don’t sell in stores, are baled like hay. The bales are sold to brokers, earning 15 cents a pound for Youth Ranch programs.
Clothing sorted and tagged for retail is stored until needed.
Sometimes, donated art is worth a lot of money. Those pieces are sold online through eBay, along with other collectibles. Check out the listings here.
Even things you might think about throwing away can be recycled for the benefit of the Youth Ranch. Look at all these Christmas lights!
Got old landline phones? IYC wants them.
Computers, monitors, keyboards and old wiring and cords are also appreciated donations.