ShawneeDispatch.com

Area residents now have a whole new way to recycle some of their household items.

Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City Tuesday staged a grand opening of the new Repurpose, iMagine, Create (RMC) store, offering low-cost, creative, recycled items, which are donated by local residents and businesses, to use as materials for projects.

Located inside Wonderscope, 5705 Flint St., the RMC store’s entire inventory is made up of recycled materials. The store collects, stocks and sells more than 100 different donated recycled items, most for under $1. These items are displayed in a retail shopping environment.

The store offers items such as ribbon, stickers, yarn, paper, fabric and more from area businesses, and items such as toilet paper rolls, plastic water bottles, egg cartons and other household items from local families. Teachers, daycare providers, youth group leaders and parents are among those who could use these inexpensive project supplies in their work with children.

Originally named the Recycled Materials Center, it was first located at the Learning Exchange in Kansas City, Mo., and then moved in 1992 to the Children’s Museum of Kansas City in Kansas City, Kan., where it has remained until the museum merged this summer with Wonderscope.

In keeping with the spirit of the new name, much of the décor has been repurposed from other sites throughout the city including signs, a decoupaged tree, part of a mural, casework, floor display pieces, a clock and a large piece of artwork made from cardboard. All proceeds from RMC sales help finance exhibits and programs at the museum.

“The facility helps businesses and homes reduce waste, saving space in our landfills,” Anne Wilson, RMC Manager, said in a release. “It saves buyers’ money by offering alternatives to purchasing new, more expensive products, and it offers a creative resource for educators or parents who are looking for unique items for projects. We hope the RMC becomes a place where people find and share other ‘green’ information so the entire community can continue benefiting from it.”

The RMC is open during regular museum hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. During these regular business hours, Wonderscope will accept donations of certain recyclables including:

• Household recyclables, washed and dried when possible: egg cartons, paper towel tubes, toilet paper tubes, coffee cans, water bottles, baby food jars with lids.

• Unique items: buttons, wine bottle corks, plastic covered wire/spirals, fabric, decorative tin cans, spools, film canisters.

• Paper products: unused paper, calendars, fronts of cards, cardboard tubes, post-it notes, index cards.

Donors may call (913) 268-4176 with questions about specific donations.

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