WILTON – The Still Good Shed at the Recycling Center opened in April in a converted shipping container. Staffed twice a week, Tuesday and Saturday, by volunteers, it has proved to be immensely popular, both by those donating unwanted items and those finding treasures.

The rules and procedures for using it are simple and clearly posted, but it could close because some people aren’t following them.

“If people want it to stay open, follow the rules,” Coordinator Sandy Lafleur said this week.

The rules are: if the Shed is closed, don’t leave anything, and the staff has the authority to reject donations. We only accept clean usable items. This is the Still Good Shed. We don’t want your trash.”

There is a list of items that will not be accepted. That list is in a brochure available at the Shed and on the town website. It includes computer items TVs or VCRs; large pieces of furniture or mattresses, paints or chemicals, or items with lithium batteries. Boxes of items are not accepted.

The Shed is for residents’ use, not for resale. Time in the shed is limited to 15 minutes, and no more than five people at a time. One of the problems with the previous set-up was “pickers,” people looking for items to sell.

Boxes have been left by the Shed, Lafleur said. “And a lot of it is trash, what people don’t want to pay to leave at the Recycling Center. They sometimes leave a mess we have to clean up.”

The original Still Good Table was part of the Recycling Center. It was closed during COVID.

In order to open the Shed. Lafleur said, “We had to set policies. And we have to enforce them.”

She worked with the Board of Selectmen on the procedures. All volunteers are trained, registered with the town, and covered by the town insurance. “It’s been a really huge project.”

Finding volunteers has not been easy. “The Recycling Center is having problems hiring people who get paid.”

The Shed is separate from the Center, Lafleur said. The town purchased the shipping container which was outfitted with donated shelving. Items are sorted and easy to view.

“We’d like to be open on Thursdays, but we don’t have the staff.” Shifts are for three hours.

The Shed is still a work in progress. “It still needs to be painted,” Lafleur said.

An “Open” flag was donated and installed by a visitor. White carboard to line shelves was donated “and another is donating a solar-powered light system. “I’d love to have an awning for the front, a picnic table and landscaping. I want people to have fun and make this the best Still Good Shed in the state.”

She mentioned some happy customers: the lady who finally found a copy of “The Hobbit,” the man who found bulletin boards for his children’s artwork, the couple furnishing their first home, and the man who took a pair of little-used hockey skates. He called that find “Really cool.”

She said, “Most people are so happy, so friendly. A couple have even brought me baked goods (during my shift).”

Information can be found on Facebook, she said, Wilton Recycling Center Still Good Shed. “Since we are all volunteers, it is sometimes closed with little notice. I post everything as soon as I get it.”

Lafleur can also be reached at Strumma@aol.com.