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Their owners are long gone. Maybe they moved to another office. Maybe, in these hard economic times, they lost their jobs.
Whatever the story, furniture liquidator Bill Leach is there to clean up their offices after they leave. And he may be helping to clean up the Earth in the process.
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Giving old furniture new life is yet another way to go green, whether it's at work or at home. Leach has been in the furniture liquidation business for 15 years but only recently began touting environmental benefits.
After all, green is in.
"We first did it because it was so cost-effective," said Leach, a Lodi resident and owner of Quality Office Liquidations. "Now there's a lot of buzz, a lot of talk about the Earth, and we really are green."
More businesses are looking for a environmental angle, as evidenced by the growth of Green Team San Joaquin. The group, organized by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, has attracted interest from more than 550 businesses and has been touted as a possible example for other counties.
Much of the furniture Leach purchases is sold to companies that spruce it up and resell it. Other pieces he sells directly to individuals or local businesses.
There's no lack of selection. Leach has cleared out entire floors of San Francisco high-rise buildings, although only about 20 percent of the furniture comes here to his Stockton warehouse.
Ultimately just 2 percent goes to the dump because it can't be sold.
"We try to keep as much as we can out of the landfill," Leach said.
The Office Furniture Recyclers Forum estimates that for every pound of wood or other materials needed to restore used furniture, another 5 to 9 pounds are conserved. Office furniture remanufacturing emerged during the 1980s and is now a $1.2 billion industry nationwide.
While Leach's angle is toward office furniture, the conservation-conscious can apply it to their own homes by getting the most life out of their own furniture before buying new.
"People are more aware of it than ever," said Sally Wooden, a spokeswoman for Goodwill Industries in Stockton, which sells used furniture that is in good condition.
"It's reuse and recycle," she said.
Get your office furniture today at:
http://www.aceofficesystems.com
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