Rummage in the Ramp promotes reuse and recycling of move-out clutter for a better environment.
By Denise Cheeseman
At the end of every July, abandoned couches and derelict furniture fill the street curbs of Iowa City, killing grass, enraging neighbors, and ending up in the Iowa City Landfill.
After living in Grinnell, Iowa, and Iowa City, Rummage in the Ramp founder and city Resource Management Superintendent Jennifer Jordan learned “that the curb sides were teeming with good stuff when the leases change over,” she said. “Any college town has the same issue.”
As an intern with the city, Jordan joked with her supervisor that they should gather everything up and hold their own giant garage sale.
Eleven years later, her vision became a reality.
Heath Brewer, the director of the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore, has seen the same issue with college towns.
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“Obviously, move-out’s big,” he said. “People need outlets for things. We [the ReStore] only have so much capacity. There are a lot of things that we wish would get donated here, but there’s only so much space and so much time to get those items. It certainly helps to get those items new homes in one big swoop … Otherwise, most students are just going to put their stuff by the Dumpster.”
The city has held Rummage in the Ramp — a pop-up thrift store, community garage sale, and drop-off point for used goods of all kinds — at the beginning of each August since 2007 in the Chauncey Swan parking ramp.
This year’s event began Wednesday evening and runs through Aug. 3. Anyone can donate or purchase items, usually for $5, $10, or $20, all week long.
Jordan said the goals of the event are threefold.
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“It keeps all the stuff out of the landfill, it keeps it off the curb so it’s not causing neighborhood issues, and it makes money for local nonprofit groups,” she said.
The ReStore is one of the nonprofits that sends a group of volunteers to work Rummage in the Ramp each year. All the groups split the proceeds at the end of the week, Jordan said, with total income averaging $15,000 a year.
“Rummage in the Ramp facilitates that opportunity for so many people to find some way to reuse the items they want to get rid of,” said Mary Palmberg, a retired volunteer coordinator for the Free Lunch Program of Iowa City, another nonprofit involved with the event. “And of course, for the people that need things … it’s a fantastic opportunity to get the things they need without spending a lot of money. Plus, I love the part about keeping things out of the landfill.”
This year, the event focuses particularly on reusing items. A new competition, Rummage Redux, encourages locals to craft their Rummage purchase into something new. All entries will be showcased on Aug. 2 during the Farmers’ Market, and a round of community judges will pick the winners of cash prizes, Jordan said.
“It’s a good opportunity for … people see that we don’t have to have brand-new stuff to have a good life,” she said.
The full schedule and list of accepted donations can be found online.