Fentress Partnering With American Thrift Stores

Fentress County residents can now make donations to a thrift store through the county’s solid waste facilities to reduce waste.

Solid Waste Director Michael Rick said convenience centers across the county will be receiving bins where people can donate usable but unwanted items instead of throwing them away. Rick said those items will then be taken to American Thrift Stores locations outside of the county to be resold.

“The way it can impact here local is one, it is a diversion from the landfill,” Rick said. “Two, American Thrift Stores donate five cents per pound of their proceeds to Make-A-Wish of Middle Tennessee. That helps children in our local area.”

Rick said they will get a quarterly report detailing how much was donated and can use that data to show the Department of Environment and Conservation how much potential waste they are keeping out of the landfill. Rick said the donation bins will arrive in two batches over the next two Thursdays.

“This is completely at no cost,” Rick said. “We do not have to manage these bins. They are completely run by American Thrift Stores, we just give them a place to be able to put these bins at.”

Rick said the plan came about after he attended a director’s meeting in Cookeville where American Thrift Stores was promoting the program.

“I know that my family always has a ton of stuff that we’re just throwing away,” Rick said. “It’d be a lot better if it could be donated and something useful be done with it.”

Rick said items eligible for donation include wearable and household items, furniture, and vehicles. Rick said a complete list of accepted items can be found on American Thrift Stores’ website: American Thrift Dot Com.