David Podris
You know the old saying, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” It might as well be the Code of Hammurabi at Eco Relics. If it can be reused, recycled, or repurposed, it’s not trash! The crew takes great pride in the length of time between visits from the dumpster truck. By the time they put something in the dumpster, its potential usefulness has been thoroughly evaluated by some of Jacksonville’s most creative reusers. As an experienced dumpster diver, let me tell you, it’s slim pickin’s.
Who would keep a small mountain (it’s Florida; I’m calling it a mountain) of broken bricks in their yard, only to give them away for free? Eco Relics would. When FSCJ Kent Campus knocked down a brick facade with a wrecking ball, the Eco Relics crew collected the refuse. One person’s loss is another person’s profit, and in this case the profit is yours.
There are so many cool projects with broken bricks. Think mosaic brick-and-concrete patios or a million and one landscaping uses. Without much monetary value but plenty of inherent worth, the bricks might have ended up wasted in a landfill. Instead, brick mountain sits waiting for you to back up the truck in the Eco Relics yard, free of charge.
The woodshop at Eco Relics is quite busy these days. Doug, Billy, and Kris produce cut-offs on a regular basis, and they usually find ways to work them into their own projects. But with so many projects, there are always more cut-offs than the small shop can absorb. So Doug started putting the choice boards in boxes and offering them to customers for next to nothing. There are countless projects for the short boards. Scraps supply the bulk of the building material for end grain butcher block cutting boards, handscrew clamps, and much more.
From broken bricks and cut-off boards to glass insulators and vintage vinyl, it’s only trash if you throw it away. After all, one person’s floor is another person’s ceiling. Did I mention Eco Relics carries reclaimed floorboards?
Eco Relics is open seven days a week at 106 Stockton Street, 32204.
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