Materials Lab field trip: Goodwill Resource Center

Goodwill Resource Center

Tour Guide: Catherine Luna, Commodities Manager

When items don't sell at the 30+ Goodwill locations surrounding Austin, they are sent to the Goodwill Resource Center.  Here merchandise is sold by the pound, 7 days a week, 14 hours a day.  Items that are still not bought are then sorted in the extensive back-of-house processing center to be recycled or shipped around the US or overseas as bulk commodities.  The Resource Center has a 90% diversion goal from landfills, and are currently around 85%.  Some of the items that they are unable to recycle or sell:  ceramics, glass, baskets, puzzle pieces, and particleboard furniture.