By Kristin Withrow, CSDA Communications Specialist
Do you ever wonder what happens to things you put in the trash? How long does each item take to decompose, does everything decompose, how efficiently do recyclables get recycled, and what about things that have some life left but you don’t know how to get them to the people or places that might want them?
According to the Monterey Regional Waste Management Authority (ReGen Monterey), Director of Communications Zoe Shoats, they receive 550,000 tons of municipal solid waste each year. Their operation includes enough space in the landfill to continue operation for 100 years, and while that is a long time, it isn’t infinite. As a society, consumers are demanding more single use packaged items, and manufacturing trends are making items that are easier to replace than to repair. At the same time, communities resist the creation of new landfills with a predictable ‘not in my backyard’ mindset.
Enter the world of waste management professionals whose challenge is to find solutions for the end life of millions of tons of waste each year. ReGen Monterey subscribes to a zero-waste hierarchy defined by the Zero Waste International Alliance. Toward the top of that hierarchy of waste mitigation is the primary category they can directly influence: Reuse.
“We started out by hosting a flea market on the first Saturday of every month in 1993 to divert usable items from the landfill. It was so popular that by 1994 the store was open every Friday and Saturday," recalls Shoats. "The community response was positive, but the store was operating at a loss due to employment costs and the low price of goods sold. Before the store reopened after the COVID closure, we took the time to reflect upon what was working and what wasn't. We realized partnering with a non-profit with retail experience would better fit our mission."
Thus began the next chapter of Last Chance Mercantile (LCM), a new partnership with the Veterans Transition Center of California, still driven by ReGen's mission to reduce landfill materials, but now with a more professional flair. Proceeds from the store are used to support veteran's programs, including housing, case management, educational programs, a food pantry, and a veterans jobs program at Last Chance.
The transformation of the store and salvage yard into an organized, stylized retail environment was a massive task that Last Chance Mercantile Director of Retail Operations Freya Read enthusiastically embraced. With a background in design and retail, which included 15 years as a designer with Pottery Barn, owner of a local antique store, and a shopper of the old Last Chance, Read was uniquely qualified for the challenge.
Because Regen Monterey had continued to accept items during the pandemic closure, the items had piled up dramatically in the store and yard. “There was an immense amount of material,” recalls Read. “It was pretty daunting, but also exciting to a lot of great merchandise and a blank slate to totally reinvent the LCM experience.”
Last Chance reopened in July 2020 with the help of 50 volunteer Marines who cleared the entire 8,000-foot warehouse in one day so the materials could be assessed, organized, priced, and staged into a retail format. The new team was able to reopen in six weeks.
The numbers show the success of this partnership. In 2024, the store sold nearly 200,000 items and diverted more than 550 tons of material from the landfill.
"Any agency that wants to undertake something like this will come to understand the value of combining different cultures," Read said. "We have a veteran non-profit culture, a waste management culture, and a creative retail culture, all working together. One of the amazing things about ReGen was that they were willing to think outside of the box to reinvent Last Chance, maintaining its commitment to promoting reuse, and through this partnership, we have created an even better reuse shopping experience for the community, a tax deductible donations program, all while supporting our veterans. It's a win-win-win!"