Current needs/volunteer roles for REBUILD program

[Terra Heilman]

Hello everyone, 

Building out the REBUILD program will be a bit of cart and horse, as we continue to collect data about what type of materials could be diverted from landfill and then also find organizations/individuals who can make use of those resources. To that end, I've collected a list (non-exhaustive-if you have a particular interest not listed here, reach out to me!) of current needs and roles. Some will be ongoing and others will be intermittent or one-time. Please let me know if you or anyone you know might be able to serve a little or a lot with REBUILD! (Thank you in advance!) 

• build shelving unit (one time role-estimated time commitment, 1-2 hours) 
• electronics repairs (We have a dedicated fixer for these, but we are a tiny bit backed up and would love to have a few more to help either on a regular basis or just to get through backlogs like this.) We currently have a large shredder and about 10-12 audio players/boomboxes/speaker units. Repairs can be at ReTails or in your own space/at your own pace.
• Waste auditing this will likely be intermittent. We'd like to get through every department, audit a few shifts and then periodically repeat. The first audit is estimated to be 1-2 hours per department at the store (about 14 departments) This work will consist of pawing through items that are about to be crushed in the compactor in an effort to collect data about what types of materials are there and volume of each. In the past, I recorded my waste audits in timelapse form and that allows us to review every item without having to record-keep while working. If you have ideas of organizations or individuals who can use the materials, items that should be recycled, etc, all the better. But, I will take anyone who is willing to do the pawing for the camera, as it were! Departments include: toys, shoes, clothing, linens, books and other media, holiday, home and garden, miscellaneous, kitchen, donations, jewelry, pets, electronics, (and probably a few I'm forgetting right now) 
• Disassembly/harvesting of parts: when items cannot be repaired, they will be salvaged for parts before being recycled, if that's an option. Sometimes, items need to be separated for that to happen. (Example from today: we have a very broken lamp with a very heavy metal rod in it. The plastic surrounding the metal needs to be separated so we can at least recycle the metal.) This role can be intermittent or ongoing, depending on volunteer's preference. 
• Making phone calls/drafting emails/research: This would be largely "work from home" While the program is building/evolving, I would love some help occasionally with things like researching organizations and what types of materials they want/need, following up with reps from orgs that have received items from us in the recent past to see if they can use more or different materials, etc. This will be intermittent and rarely have hard deadlines. This is perfect for someone wanting to serve REBUILD as you have a bit of time.
• Sorting/tidying electronics cords We get about 1-3 medium boxes of electronics cords per week at the store. This role is definitely ongoing, but I'd also be happy to work with volunteers if it's only when you have spare time. There's no shortage of cords! You would either separate and/or "package" (with zip ties or rubber bands) certain types of cords (USB-C, HDMI, lightning, etc) In addition, 1-3X/week, we need to be replenishing cords on the sales floor and separating them if they've gotten jumbled together. This work takes about an hour on its own. 

I'm so excited to report that in our first six months of the program, we've diverted, repaired, shared and recycled over 5,000 lbs of waste! There is huge potential for this program and I'm so excited to work with y'all and see what we can do!

Thank you in advance if you got this far and thank you for considering volunteering and sharing these opportunities with others!

Sincerely,

Terra