byMSR News Online
This Earth Month, sustainability meets second chances in the heart of Minneapolis. Two local enterprises—Second Chance Recycling and Furnish Office & Home—are opening their doors to the community for an open house event on Saturday, April 26 from, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., celebrating their ongoing commitment to reducing waste, creating jobs, and transforming lives.
With locations just minutes apart—Second Chance at 1179 15th Ave SE and Furnish at 850 15th Ave NE—the event promises a family-friendly day filled with tours, food, games, and inspiring stories of transformation.
From Landfills to Livelihoods
Second Chance Recycling, a program of the nonprofit EMERGE, is more than a recycling facility—it’s a lifeline. Each year, the enterprise deconstructs over 90,000 mattresses, diverting more than 2,000 tons of recyclable materials from landfills and turning them into new products. To date, they’ve recycled over 738,000 mattresses, preventing 20 million pounds of waste from polluting the planet.
The impact goes beyond the environment. Second Chance offers transitional jobs and skill-building opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals, helping up to 100 people annually secure pathways to stable employment. Participants can gain experience in logistics, warehouse operations, and popular certifications like forklift training.
“At Second Chance, we believe in giving people and materials a second life,” said a representative from EMERGE. “Every mattress we take apart is a step toward sustainability—and every individual we train is a step toward equity.”
Waste to Worth
What happens to all those mattress parts? The recycled components find new purposes:
- Wood is repurposed into mulch, pet bedding, or fuel.
- Metal is melted down and re-entered into the steel supply chain.
- Foam and pillow tops are used in filtration or carpet padding.
- Cotton becomes landscaping fabric or new textiles.
And that’s just the start.
Across the river in Northeast Minneapolis, Furnish Office & Home adds another layer to this cycle of reuse. Their enterprise retail store offers deeply discounted, gently used furniture—up to 80% off retail prices. In 2024 alone, Furnish kept 500 tons of high-quality items—including 5,500 chairs, 1,000 desks, and 1,000 tables—out of landfills by repurposing them for homes and offices.
Just like its sister site, Furnish also employs and trains individuals with barriers to employment, building workplace skills while promoting sustainable consumer habits.
Community in Action
During the Earth Month Open House, visitors will get an inside look at mattress deconstruction, meet current and former trainees, and browse Furnish’s rotating inventory of designer-quality furniture.
Attendees can also connect with City of Minneapolis and St. Paul representatives, who partner with these enterprises to expand recycling access. Individuals can even learn how to recycle their own mattresses with Second Chance.
“We’re showing the public that sustainability isn’t just green—it’s just,” said Pam McCurdy, event organizer. “We’re creating jobs, reducing waste, and strengthening our community all at once.”
For more information, contact Pam McCurdy at 612-839-3932 or pam@themarketingtroupe.com. To learn more about EMERGE and their workforce development programs, visit www.emerge-mn.org.
Earth Month Open House
Saturday, April 26, 2025
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Second Chance Recycling – 1179 15th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Furnish Office & Home – 850 15th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Come for the furniture, stay for the future.
