Zero Waste: Recyclers rescued Sunset Bowl lanes and you can buy them

No More Rollin' With The Homies

The bowlers on staff at the Re Store found their latest demolition project bittersweet. They have a growing expertise in this particular arena, having earlier pulled apart Leilani Lanes and Everett Lanes but practice doesn't make it any easier.

The passing into history of Sunset Bowl was marked by a respectful collaboration with workers from other local recyclers, Earthwise and Second Use, many of whom had also regularly tossed balls down the alleys in league play.

The sum of the parts may be less than the whole, but these pieces of the past are available for repurposing and are in high demand:

Nine lanes of 3-inch-thick maple and pine, at $8 a square foot. Possible uses include as tables, desks, countertops, flooring.

Reason for discard: The sport of bowling has been in serious decline since the mid-1960s, when 8 percent of men and 5 percent of women played. Meanwhile, land values in urban neighborhoods have skyrocketed.

Talk about a sustainable business. The nonprofit Re Store has been paying its own way since 1992, helping Puget Sound recyclers reuse the remains of back in the day.

Each issue of Footprint features a RE Store "staff-favorite pick." For a peek at more of what fills the RE Store's warehouse in Ballard (1440 N.W. 52nd St., www.re-store.org) see our video at www.seattletimes.com/pacificnw. Find more recycling resources on our Web site, too.