Meet Leslie Scott of Kansas City metro area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Scott.

Hi Leslie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Re.Use.Full donation-matching platform was born after taking repeated requests from friends looking for a new home for their gently used household items, clothes and computer equipment. They wanted to help a worthy organization but didn’t know who could put their items to good use. Realizing the challenges nonprofit organizations face to stretch their funding and do more with less, we created this platform that takes “reduce, reuse, recycle” to a whole new level.

After witnessing the City of Overland Park’s Recycling Extravaganza, we launched Un-Dumpster Day. Each spring and fall we host these drive-thru one-stop donation collection events where you can bring your excess furniture, bikes, books, clothing and other household goods to pass on to one of our participating charity partners so they can put it to good use helping more people and pets in the Kansas city region. You can also bring your confidential documents to be shredded and your electronics and tires to be responsibly recycled.

As a result of learning more about the impacts of our throwaway society and noticing how our landfills are full of items that could be kept in use with a little attention, we joined the international Repair Cafe movement. Repair shops are increasingly harder to find, and it’s often cheaper to replace an item than to repair it. We’ve now had hundreds of people bring their broken bikes, clothing, jewelry, small furniture, small electronics, computers, lamps and small appliances to one of our Repair Cafes where our volunteers attempt to get them back in working order and keep them out of the trash at no cost.

Waste colonialism is of particular concern to me. Fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions with an estimated 85% of all textiles ending up in the landfill each year (Earth.org). Clothing donated to thrift stores can end up littering the shores of developing countries in the Global South. To help people refresh their wardrobe more sustainably, we host clothing swaps where participants can update their look by trading clothes from their closet with other swappers. We hope people find their next favorite dress, pair of shoes or sweater at these free events held throughout the year at various locations around the KC region–I know I have!

One of my favorite resources we provide for our community is our Wednesday 101 Webinars. These free online events feature KC-area speakers who present about a sustainability-focused topic, ranging from green burial to backyard chickens. These webinars have attracted people from all over the world, and it’s fun to hear from people in other countries about their interests and passions.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The idea for the donation-matching platform was in my head for about 10 years before I was finally able to launch, thanks to my first COVID relief check and a friend who gave me a deep discount for her outstanding professional website design services. Without that, we would never have been able to get up and going, so thanks, Rachel Hiles and nth degree media and designs!

We weren’t sure where we were going for sure the first few years. Once it became clear that we were more than a website, we decided to file for our 501(c)(3) status and become an independent nonprofit organization. Funding is a challenge, as it is for most nonprofits. With the federal cuts in environmental funding, we are looking at innovative ways to tap into other types of support, including corporate sponsorship for our Repair Cafes and Un-Dumpster Day events. Since we’ve been hosting more events, we have seen an increase in the interest of our programs, especially our Repair Cafes, but we are primarily volunteer run and have limited funding, and that makes it difficult to meet that demand.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are small but scrappy and continue to look for ways to grow. I’m very proud to see that Re.Use.Full has evolved to become a more well-known organization that is giving individuals multiple ways to plug into sustainability that are practical and accessible. We have come a long way from the launch of our donation-matching platform to offer the suite of programs we have now. We continue to build relationships in the sustainability ecosystem and look forward to being recognized as a leader in the KC region and beyond as we work to elevate our work and that of others through the Circular KC group that we are helping to launch that will help to bring together others interested in the circular economy and foster projects that leverage this model where products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I also serve as the Digital Inclusion Program Manager at KC Digital Drive. The importance of being able to get online was highlighted during the pandemic, but even five years later, the digital divide persists, and we work to bridge that gap in the KC region to ensure that everyone in the KC region has affordable internet, a device to access it at home and the skills to take advantage of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reusefull.org/
• Instagram: bereusefull
• Facebook: bereusefull
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/re-use-full
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeReUseFull