Junk removal company helping Calgary Drop In Centre clients
What if someone could turn your junk into someone else's treasure, and help the environment a little along the way?
Just Junk Calgary picks up items people are getting rid of. Deb and Mike Darbyshire started the business 12 years ago. They have a goal of diverting as much as they can from landfills and the people who make use of the Calgary Drop In Centre's (DI) free goods program benefit as a result.
"We have a list of who will take what," said Deb Darbyshire. "So somewhere like the Calgary Drop In Centre, they will take pretty much all very good household items, housewares, cutlery, furniture - as long as it's in gently-used condition, they will take it."
Elise Short, the DI's community engagement manager, said Just Junk is great to work with.
"Anything that they bring from a mattress, a couch, even artificial plants, everything goes such a long way to help somebody set up their home," said Short. "We're talking about people that are either new to Calgary, new to Canada or starting over again."
Short said when clients receive the donation it helps turn their house into a home.
"They're starting with nothing," she said. "So even the littlest thing that somebody might not think would make an impact on somebody really does, it helps to set up their home."
In 2021 the company set a goal to donate 75 truck loads of items for the free goods program. They managed 100 loads and in 2022 hope to get 250 loads to clients.
"The Drop In Centre is one of our biggest (agencies) that take most of our stuff," said Mike Darbyshire. "Its going to get used and that's, that's a good thing about it."
Just Junk is a full service junk removal company. Deb Darbyshire says they make customer's lives easy by removing what they don't want. Mike sorts everything that comes into the warehouse. They get a lot of garbage, but even that's sorted and recycled. They receive old and even new items from clients.
"We actually don't sell anything at all," said Deb Darbyshire. "We make a point of putting it back into the community or going to different recycling centers."
MAKING ART OUT OF JUNK
It's Deb's job to find a new home for all the items that can be reused. She works with a number of local artisans who make art out of junk.
"People that do arts and crafts, they'll take the nuts, the bolts and the little beads and bangles and all these little things that you wouldn't even given a second look to and they'll they'll make these wonderful items out of them," she said.
Mike Darbyshire is passionate about making sure items get sorted so they can be recycled or repurposed. In 2021 he saw 101, 720 kg (224,256) lbs of metal, 26,020 kg (57,366 lbs) electronics, 33,009 kg (72,774 lbs) concrete, 867 car and truck tires and 774 bicycle tires diverted from the landfill. He enjoys finding antiques and hidden treasures the most.
"And the hard thing about this business is you see lots of things and you think it would be great to keep that that's good but you got to say no, you got to be strict and just give it to the people who need it, rather than stick it in my own home," he said.
Find out more about Just Junk here: www.justjunk.com
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.