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Alicia Hart and Taylor Tait, two professional organizers who grew up in Darien and now live in New Canaan, are well down the road to launching Rid it Right America, a new community website that will help people find meaningful ways to get rid of their clutter without the use of landfills.
Users will search by zip code, transaction type, (donate, recycle repair or re-sell) and item type (anything from a used battery to a used boat) to instantly access a wide-ranging list of local outlets such as charitable organizations, recycling centers schools, and consignment or repair shops.
“As organizers we know that just about everyone has stuff they’d get rid of if they only knew what to do with it.” said Taylor Tait. “We also felt there had to be a better way, as we were taking things to the same few outlets every time.”
So an idea was born that, as Hart puts it, “was all about helping people to connect the dots.” She added, “Rather than taking that old bicycle to the dump, we’ll connect you with the man in Bridgeport who repairs and recycles them for people who need to get to work and can’t afford the car payments.”
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The pair explained how, “The site will also post all kinds of wish lists for charities, and organizations. Budget-challenged teachers in need of art supplies and children’s books, a church collecting furniture for a family who lost everything in a fire, any number of specific needs can be addressed and hopefully fulfilled using other peoples excess stuff”.
Now, with community support, Pepsi might help Rid it Right America get it done. The “Pepsi Refresh” challenge gives cash grants every month to help fund new ideas that will benefit their communities.
As building websites doesn’t come cheaply, Tait and Hart were thrilled to see their project selected as April finalists in the nation-wide Pepsi challenge - now all they need is lots of support in the form of votes galore.
To support this very worthwhile Fairfield County initiative just go to http://www.refresheverything.com/riditrightamerica and you can vote once a day through April 30th.
Tait and Hart plan to have riditrightamerica.com up and running by June or July, so vote, vote, vote, and “watch this space”.