Recycle Ann Arbor's ReUse Center has opened a new Holiday Shoppe, featuring hundreds of holiday decorations at bargain-basement prices. Visitors to the Holiday Shoppe can shop green and save some green, while selecting from holiday ornaments, displays, lights, trees, tree stands and all other essential items needed to create the perfect holiday atmosphere.

"Because we accept donations of holiday items all year round, we have a huge selection of like-new decorations for our customers to choose from," said ReUse Center Manager Gary Urick. "The beginning of the holidays is also a popular time for donations, as people unpack their decorations and decide that they'd like to have something different this year."

The Holiday Shoppe is located inside the ReUse Center at 2420 S. Industrial Highway in Ann Arbor. Trees of all sizes and shapes are on display, including pre-lit models.

On a recent day in the Holiday Shoppe, an eight-foot artificial Christmas tree in like-new condition was selling for just $35. Tree lights were only $1 per string, a giant four-foot Christmas stocking (with tags attached) was just $1, and wrapping paper, ribbons and bows were plentiful, starting at just 25 cents each.

The ReUse Center, located at 2420 S. Industrial Highway, is a 20,000-square-foot. retail facility offering a huge variety of new and gently used household items and building materials at affordable prices. Donations and purchases of these reusable materials support environmental programs in our community, in addition to helping to conserve resources and energy, and reducing waste.

Since it was founded in 1996, all proceeds from Recycle Ann Arbor's ReUse Center have gone directly toward maintaining and staffing the facility and supporting waste reduction activities in the community.

Jean Brown is the communications manager for Recycle Ann Arbor, and credits her super-recycler parents for her love of the environment and resource conservation. She can be reached at jbrown@recycleannarbor.org. Call 734-662-6288 or visit www.recycleannarbor.org for more information on easy and convenient recycling for the home and workplace.

Your World provides local environmental information to our community. Contributing partners include: Washtenaw County's Environmental Health Division; the nonprofit Recycle Ann Arbor; the City of Ann Arbor's Public Services Area, Natural Area Preservation, Systems Planning programs for Energy, Environmental Coordination, Solid Waste, Transportation, and Water Resources.