Chico Creative Reuse is giving creative materials a second life. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

I’m on a quest to get rid of things I no longer use or want. I’m also trying to not have that stuff end up in a landfill, which would be the easiest way of disposing of them.

Leftover from my days of having a brick and mortar massage business were two vinyl banners with the words “massage” on them. I had them in the windows to attract those driving by and to alert clients they were in the correct location as the real sign per city rules was too dang small to read.

These banners are horrible for the environment, so I didn’t want to put them in the trash.

“Traditional vinyl signs are generally considered bad for the environment. They are primarily made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a petroleum-based plastic that is non-biodegradable and releases toxic chemicals during production and incineration,” according to Full Sail Media.

The Chico and South Lake Tahoe refuse companies don’t recycle vinyl banners. I called specialty recycling places; again, the answer was no. I reached out to companies that actually make these types of signs to no avail. I reached out to TekTailor in Sonoma County which I had written about a few years ago and where I took my Lake Tahoe News banners. No response; they seem to barely exist.

After more research I finally discovered craftspeople might like them. This led me to Chico Creative Reuse. This nonprofit’s motto is “Redirecting materials away from the landfill and back into the community for art.” Perfect.

The volunteer workers envisioned using my banners at this month’s Chico Pride celebration. After all, the back of them is a blank, white canvas. That could easily be transformed into something creative.

This hole in the wall place has art supplies for anyone, for free. They operate on donated goods and monetary donations. The money pays for the space, utilities and whatever other expenses might come up.

I noticed all the pens so I inquired if they would take some. The problem, I told them, is they are from my massage business that have the phone number to the business, which is still the phone number I have today. The reason I had not donated the pens someplace before now was not wanting people to think A Massage at Tahoe still existed and to answer all those calls.

The workers said they wouldn’t mind taking the ink out of them to have that as a resource for customers who wanted a refill. What will they do with the outer plastic casing? I don’t know. I didn’t ask since I was still contemplating this as an option for the box of pens. Maybe the plastic is recyclable. Maybe these creative people will have a use I can’t fathom.

After getting the box down from high up in the garage I discovered I also moved/saved a lot of Lake Tahoe News pens. Those only have the web address, so I don’t really care if they are in circulation.

This led me to reach out to a friend who puts care packages together for service members overseas. I knew pens were part of the packages, but never wanted the massage pens to go to this cause. She said she’d take the LTN ones off my hands. A mutual friend will help me make the delivery later this month.

The massage pens will go to Chico Creative Reuse this month, too.

It really does feel good to incrementally get rid of things and know they are getting at least another life. Even if this stuff eventually ends up in a landfill, reuse means a delay in that happening.

Chico Creative Reuse is open Thursdays from 5-7pm and Saturdays noon-3pm. The address is 603 Orange St., though the entrance is on Sixth Street. It is part of the larger Chico Waste Diversion and Reuse Network. This seems like a page worth bookmarking.