Goodwill Industries of Northern New England says it took in a record number of donations in 2017 and is on track to do the same this year.
The non-profit says one factor behind the increase in donations is the region’s aging population. As baby boomers downsize, it seems a trip to the Goodwill is often in order.
Last year alone, Goodwill NNE says it diverted 60 million pounds of stuff from the waste stream.
Spokesperson Heather Steeves says even if those items aren’t sold in stores, they have lots of ways of keeping them out of a landfill.
“Oh, you’d be surprised. We have people who purchase things like DVD cases and we'll recycle the paper inside of it, we have buyers who will buy cords to electronic appliances just to get the metal out of them and recycle that plastic and metal.”
And 2018 is also the first year Goodwill NNE no longer offers plastic bags to customers.
