Welcome to the fourth instalment of 'Wasted,' a Day 6 series about garbage and what we do with it. In this week's episode, we're taking a look at thrift shops.

So far in the series, we've looked at plastic toys, China's new ban on foreign waste, and e-waste. Thrift shops bring all of those things together.

From toys and furniture to clothing and electronics, used items sold in second-hand shops are not only less expensive than brand new goods, they're also getting an extension on life that keeps them out of local landfills.

It's a wonderful opportunity for people who may not have already started that concept of shopping ... it can really make a difference within the communities ... but also to the environment in general. - Stacy Elia, executive director, Grimsby Benevolent Fund ( GBF )

For Stacy Elia, that's a win-win situation. Elia is the executive director of the Grimsby Benevolent Fund (GBF), which operates a thrift shop in Grimsby, a small town in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario.

"We invested over $700,000 back into our community because of our social enterprise. I'm amazed at what we can do with that aspect of having our self-funding arm. It allows us to do so much more in our community that we might not otherwise do," Elia says.

The GBF is also a social agency, providing food, housing and financial aid to those in need of aid in Grimsby. The money raised in the thrift shop helps fund the agency's other efforts.

At the same time, clothing and furniture are being diverted from the local landfill site, making the store's success environmentally friendly.

Volunteers at the GBF thrift shop sort through clothing, purses, shoes and other donated items, which are then put on hangers and sold in the retail area. The GBF has more than 300 community volunteers. (Laurie Allan/CBC)

The GBF

Entering the doors of the GBF shop, customers can see furniture to their left and clothing through the middle of the store. Electronics, housewares, books and toys are off to the back.

One corner of the food bank operated by the Grimsby Benevolent Fund (GBF). The shelf on the right also includes new toys that can be used as birthday gifts. (Laurie Allan/CBC) The shop started out in a tiny, basement-level space in an out-of-the way plaza, but it grew to be so successful that it now occupies an extensive space that once held the town's IGA grocery store.

The building also houses a food bank and warehouse area for receiving and sorting donations.

Elia says there used to be a stigma attached to second-hand shopping, and that people would try not to be seen as they left the small-town store.

As she tells Day 6 host Brent Bambury, that stigma is now long gone. Thrift shopping is now trendy.

"Now we have all walks of life that come through our facility. So I think it's a wonderful opportunity for people who may not have already started that concept of shopping, that they should try it," Elia says.

"They'll love it, and it can really make a difference within the communities that have those thrift shops, but also to the environment in general."

A small area is sectioned off in the GBF warehouse, where waste is collected and stored. Anything that can be recycled will be. The bins to store waste are mostly empty, due in part to the GBF's recycling efforts. (Laurie Allan/CBC)

How the thrift shop reduces waste

Every year, GBF has 1,000 metric tons of used items donated to their store, which keeps the store busy with more than 10,000 transactions a month.

But not everything they receive can be sold.

"I would say the least helpful [thing] is dropping items [outside our store] after hours," Elia says.

"Sometimes they are rummaged through, they're damaged by weather, and then they're really of no use to us after that has happened. So I encourage people to make sure, when they're considering making donations, to do it through the operating hours that ensures that their donation can be used," Elia explains.

So what happens to items that can't be sold because they've been left out in the elements?

"Unfortunately, it would go to the landfill site. Some of it might be recycled if we can recycle it through our programming," she says.

More than 100 metric tons of recyclable cardboard, metal and e-waste — only the items that aren't sellable in the store — are sold to a recycling company. That money is then funnelled back into the GBF's social services.

Clothing that is soiled, has a smell, or has broken zippers are also unsellable in the store. Those items are then bagged and sold to Diabetes Canada, an agency that in turn sells those textiles to be repurposed as rags.

Again, though not sellable, the items are diverted from the landfill and the funds raised in selling them are used to fund the GBF's social agency arm.

This storage room in the GBF warehouse is filled with bags of unsellable clothing. Any articles that are soiled, damaged or have a smell are bagged and sold to Diabetes Canada, who in turn sell the items to be used as rags. (Laurie Allan/CBC)

N ew landfill diversion site

In November, in partnership with the local municipality, the GBF opened a diversion site at the local West Niagara landfill.

"We're diverting right from that landfill site and bringing a lot of that product back to our store, and we reap the benefits from the sale of those items," says Elia.

There is a lot of furniture that's being diverted right now from the landfill site to our location. - Stacy Elia, executive director, GBF

"But more importantly, that just gives us more revenue to provide more social services in Grimsby. And it's diverting other waste in the landfill," she explains. "I'm pretty amazed at what we've been able to receive and it's just another opportunity for thinking outside the box."

GBF volunteers at the landfill site can view items being dropped off as waste, and any items that can be sold at the store are retrieved and saved.

"The best landfill find that we've had so far, I think, was on grand opening day when someone brought an awning — an outdoor awning," Elia recalls.

The awning was brand new and still in its original box.

"This individual said they had purchased it for their home. They recently sold their home. They were going into a condo. There was no use for this and they were cleaning out their home. And that just shows you that what you may not be using today somebody else in your community your neighbour could utilize that."

"We've been very fortunate. There is a lot of furniture that's being diverted right now from the landfill site to our location, which is, again, it's a wonderful opportunity for people to have that product used, although they're tired of it. It does not mean that someone else couldn't benefit from that," Elia says.

As a result of recycling efforts, between 2010 and 2015, the GBF reduced the number of items it forwarded to the landfill from 163,000 to 98,000 kilograms. That's a reduction of nearly 50 per cent.

In the Grimsby Benevolent Fund warehouse, boxes of items for the food bank line the walls. All are labelled by content and expiry date. The GBF spends approximately $20,000/month to stock its food bank. (Laurie Allan/CBC)

Funding social services

The GBF was created as a social agency to help people in need. The building that houses the thrift shop also houses a food bank. The agency spends $20,000 a month to stock the shelves at its food bank.

Elia notes that when people see the parking lot full at the store, they see success and that that can sometimes lead to a drop in food bank donations.

It's just an unbelievable model. And if there were other agencies that could do similar work, tying the social enterprise side and being environmentally friendly, you'll reap great benefits for your organization. - Stacy Elia, executive director, GBF

But donations to the store have been steady. And most of the donated items are sold or recycled.

"I would tell you probably 90 percent of the items that are coming through our facility, we have a purpose for," she says.

"We are unique because we are a social service agency and have a social enterprise to our facility and to our programming. So we provide the basic necessities of life, shelter, food, clothing."

The agency is also able to use items in the store to help those in need. As an example, if someone needs to furnish their new housing, the GBF can provide furniture from its store. If someone has had to relocate quickly and needs clothing, those items can come from the store.

"We directly donate it to those who need it most," Elia says.

"Funding that we raise goes directly back into supporting individuals, for many different reasons of why they come to our door for assistance."

A rack of women's pants in the GBF thrift shop in Grimsby, Ontario. The GBF takes in 1,000 metric tons of used items donated to their store on an annual basis. (Laurie Allan/CBC)

"It allows us to do so much more in our community that we might not otherwise do," she adds. "It's just an unbelievable model. And if there were other agencies that could do similar work, tying the social enterprise side and being environmentally friendly, you'll reap great benefits for your organization. It's a wonderful way of doing business."

Elia says working at the GBF has changed the way she views what people throw away.

"When you're sitting across a desk speaking to a client, for instance, in the social service aspect of it, who may have absolutely nothing — who may have walked away from absolutely everything because of [their] situation — and comes to an agency such as ours and is welcomed with open arms, and we've been able to refurnish their apartment … or provide the clothing that they walked away from ... I look at things a lot differently."

"I look at items as, you know, it may be seen as not useful for us, but it could be a treasure for somebody else. I've seen gently used items put a smile on a child's face and that's an unbelievable feeling."

To hear the full interview with Stacy Elia, download our podcast or click the 'Listen' button at the top of this page.

Click here for Part One, Two and Three of 'Wasted,' our series about trash — how we generate it, what happens to it, and how we can generally be better at dealing with garbage.