Swap till you drop!
Some 300 people headed to the Bay Ridge Jewish Center on Aug. 18 to turn their trash into somebody else’s treasure — or vice versa — at the temple’s Stop ‘N’ Swap event. People brought in — and left with — books, clothes, household appliances, and children’s toys, all without money changing hands.
“People were happy with what they could find, and people were happy to get stuff out of their house,” said center administrator Marnee Dubow.
The synagogue coordinated the event with Grow NYC, the group that runs the city’s Greenmarkets. The environmental awareness group estimated that participants exchanged about a ton and a half of materials. Dubow said the idea behind the event is to prevent unnecessary waste.
“The goal is to keep things out of landfills,” said Dubow.
But the items brought in were hardly garbage. Dubow said nearly all items were either new or gently used, and people quickly snatched them up.
“People dropped off nice things, and everyone was really friendly,” Dubow said. “The majority of what was dropped off actually left the building with somebody else.”
