Greenwood Conservation Commission President Betsey Foster, left, with Town Manager Kim Sparks at the newly revived swap shop at the Greenwood/Woodstock transfer station on Aug. 23. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen
GREENWOOD — The swap shop at the Greenwood/Woodstock Transfer Station is now re-opened after four years.
“If you grew up in a small town in Maine … dump picking was as important as getting rid of your trash,” said Greenwood Conservation Commission Chair Betsey Foster.
She said her father, Borden Foster, was a great example of this. “He’d go to the dump, come back two, three hours later. The trash was gone but he had just as much stuff from what he ‘picked’ at the dump.
“When transfer stations came into being, dump picking went away. With the advent of free stores, people could dump pick again except in an organized manner,” she said
Like everything inside the free store, the structure itself is recycled. “Lee” is painted on the back of the former tractor trailer, now just trailer.
On a recent Wednesday, four bicycles and a rug were outside; inside were five sets of ice skates, a hammer, stacking shelves, furniture, kitchen utensils, and a puzzle.
Books, too. “They go fast,” said Foster. Of the ironing board, she said, “But, who irons anymore?”
“Someone brought in a microwave last week, it probably went home the same day… that microwave probably weighed 25 lbs. That’s 25 lbs that we don’t have to dispose of,” she said.
They do not accept clothing but encourage people to donate to the recently re-opened District Exchange in Bethel, said Foster.
Foster listed the many reasons for reopening. The first and most important, she said, is to reduce trash costs for residents who are charged for everything that goes into the dumpsters.
Other reasons are so that articles have a “second life” instead of putting them into the waste stream.
Third, the swap shop helps others who might need the donated items.
Finally, said Foster, “it lets us all harken back to the days of dump picking and it’s something to do when you come to the transfer station.”
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