• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

T Williams Realty

Find Your Home on Orcas Island

  • HOME
  • SEARCH PROPERTIES
  • THE CREW
    • MEET THE CREW
    • OUR PHILOSOPHY
    • IN THE COMMUNITY
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • SIMPLY ORCAS BLOG
  • Contact
  • HOME
  • SEARCH PROPERTIES
  • THE CREW
    • MEET THE CREW
    • OUR PHILOSOPHY
    • IN THE COMMUNITY
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • SIMPLY ORCAS BLOG
  • Contact
the exchange

A devastating fire leveled the island’s beloved reuse center, The Exchange. What followed is a shining example of islanders’ determination, collaboration and generosity. The non-profit Orcas Recycling Services (ORS) first took over managing the transfer station and then went to work rebuilding the Exchange.

January 28, 2018 //  by Sandi Friel

From Ashes to Awesome:
The New Orcas Island Exchange

Five years ago a devastating fire leveled the island’s beloved reuse center The Exchange. What followed is a shining example of islanders’ determination, collaboration and generosity.

Through a long fund-raising campaign and unique public-private partnership involving San Juan County, the non-profit Orcas Recycling Services (ORS) first took over managing the transfer station and then went to work rebuilding the Exchange.

Finally, the day after Thanksgiving 2017, on what ORS dubbed “Green Friday”, the new and wildly improved Exchange opened its doors.

The new 5000+ sq.ft. Exchange building replaces what was once just a string of sheds and tents.

Bob and I made our first visit last weekend. While I was looking forward to being in the new warm and dry building with a more organized inventory, I hoped the Exchange hadn’t lost its quirky edge. Part of the fun of going to the old Exchange was its fun patched-together vibe.

So I was pleased when the first thing I noticed upon entering was a masked mannequin next to a vintage juke box belting out a funky mix of familiar tunes – ranging from blues to oldies to local artists like Bruce Harvey. It hit just the right note.

Looking around the new building, I could see the familiar categories of clothing, toys, books, household, art, tools and building supplies. I’m currently on a purging kick at home and managed to resist the temptation to refill my coffers, this time anyway. (There is a fish sculpture, though, I can’t stop thinking about and may need to go back to see if it’s still there.)

Every item has a color tag on it indicating a price range. An old window cleverly displays the color key and suggests to “pay what you can afford” within each of the price ranges.

As I was leaving, I stopped to complement manager Jeff Ludwig on the fantastic job of rebuilding the Exchange. Jeff worked at the old Exchange for 16 years and is excited to be part of the new venture.

Jeff Ludwig, the new Exchange manager, beams proudly behind a tree bark-faced checkout counter.

With the mission of zero waste, the Exchange/ORS is expanding into other areas too. Having collected green yard waste materials for several years, they just completed their first “grind” and are now offering composted island mulch for sale. They’re also planning to refurbish a glass-crushing machine which will convert glass recyclables into a useful landscape and fill material.

Out of destruction sprouted something bigger and better. The spirit of the Exchange and the forward-thinking people behind it are just one reason I love calling Orcas Island home.

Dreaming of the simple life on Orcas Island?
Contact me to help find your way home.

Category: Community, UncategorizedTag: Orcas Island Exchange, Orcas Recycling Services

Next Post: Pizza Camp pizza camp»

Primary Sidebar

T Williams Realty logo

360 376-8374
info@twilliamsrealty.com

365 North Beach Road
Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA 98245

Recent Posts

  • What To Do on Orcas if Your Grama Does Not Take You to the Fireworks – Repost
  • Orcas ROCKS! A Brief Geological History – Repost
  • Orcas Teens: Living and Working on an Island Paradise – Repost
  • Pizza Camp
  • From Ashes to Awesome: The New Orcas Island Exchange

Categories

  • Blog
  • Community
  • Family Life
  • Gardening
  • Nature
  • Recipes
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • November 2019
  • January 2018

Footer

CONNECT

 

MEET THE CREW

  • Teri Williams
  • Sandi Friel
  • Beth Holmes
  • Mandy Randolph

CONTACT

360 376-8374
info@twilliamsrealty.com

365 North Beach Road, Suite 101
Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA 98245

Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 • T Williams Realty • All Rights Reserved • Terms and Conditions • Maintained by Orcas Online