Junk Raiders premieres on Discovery Sept. 14

junk

From a media release:

A Bold Social and Ecological Experiment: JUNK RAIDERS Premieres Sept. 14 on Discovery Channel

  • Geoff Woodmansey, General Contractor from CANADA’S WORST HANDYMAN, leads work crew tasked with renovating a Toronto loft using nothing but the materials that other people have thrown away
  • Follow freecycler Gordie Wornoff through the dumpsters of Ontario on Twitter

JUNK RAIDERS follows five construction and design professionals as they team up with two of Toronto’s top freecyclers – people who cull through dumps to repurpose still-useful items – in the ultimate salvage challenge: transform an old factory space into a trendy, fully functioning live/work space. Premiering Monday, September 14 at 9 p.m. ET, Discovery Channel Canada’s newest original series captures the progress of this dynamic crew as they take consumer cast-off into their own hands and discover whether what the rest of us throw out is good enough to live in.

Freecyclers and contractors join forces in a social and ecological experiment on JUNK RAIDERS, premiering on Discovery Channel Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. ET.

Building a loft out of garbage represents an enormous challenge. The freecyclers find themselves constantly bumping up against the rest of the team who are used to building with new materials and sending garbage into the landfill – not into the finished product. Adding to the tension is the fact that the task at hand is of a daunting scale – not even the freecyclers have taken on something this large – and they only have one month to complete the job.

Freecycling – a thriving, do-it-yourself subculture – is about finding things for free, then finding innovative ways to recycle them, either into their original form or into something different altogether. As the JUNK RAIDERS experiment officially begins, the freecyclers and the wasters get their first taste of what’s in store for them as they hit the streets of Toronto in search for everything they need, including building supplies, electronics, furniture and appliances.

The loft itself is 1,600 square feet. For perspective, the general contractor on the team quoted $150,000 to complete the job. The team’s budget: $5,000.

THE TEAM:

· Gordie Wornoff and Anthony D’Arcy, two of Toronto’s top freecyclers

· Geoff Woodmansey, team leader. Geoff is a general contractor who renovates million dollar homes and sends vast amounts of waste to landfill. Geoff is also an expert consultant on CANADA’S WORST HANDYMAN.

· Michelle Mawby, a high end interior designer who tears out perfectly good interiors in the name of perfectly new interiors.

· Cam Pikul, your average millionaire handyman who has made his fortune building and servicing several bars and restaurants that he and his wife currently run. Creating waste is not an issue for him whatsoever.

· Jean-Marc Haddad is a home tech specialist who specializes in wiring super smart homes. Obsolescence and related waste is why Jean-Marc’s Cobourg-based business is thriving.

· Ross Werry, a provincial parks garbage collector whose job is to pick up after the general public. Ross can’t believe how much good stuff people throw out…but outside the realm of his job, it’s not something he thinks about.

Complementing and extending the broadcast experience, freecycler Gordie Wornoff is tweeting his way through dumpsters and along the curbsides of Southwestern Ontario. Follow his personal and very interesting journey at www.twitter.com/JunkRaiders. In addition DiscoveryChannel.ca has behind-the-scenes video with participants, episode guides, interactive waste statistics, and more!

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7 thoughts on “Junk Raiders premieres on Discovery Sept. 14”

  1. SO happy to see the terms “freecycling” & “freecyclers” used generically!!

  2. I work for a disposal company and I see on a daily basis building materials and electronics go to landfills. A good portion of these work and the ones that don’t usually just need a little TLC. We seem to make and think everything is disposable and we can just go buy replacements!
    I’m involved in a project at home where finances are a large factor so to help offset the cost of building materials I’ve collected and freecycled items thrown to the curb side for disposal.
    I’ve just seen the first episode of “Junk Raiders” and I’m anxious to see the next one. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was informative, exciting , inspirational and encouraging. It’s a good message for anyone building that I hope inspires others. I’ve been ridiculed for my “freecycling” and it was frowned upon as junk collecting but I’m freecycle for my home project now more then ever.
    I hope this show continues and I’ll be tuned in as well as I found it quiet exciting and dramatic at times with the different personalities, expertise/professions coming together to form one objective…..

  3. Get rid of pathetic so called freecyclers. They were un-productive and quite frankly pathetic and embarrissing to watch. Get rid of those idiots, let some pros , hook them up with people with no experience and I’ll watch next season. I’ll volunteere ,I have mo skills!

  4. I think this show is great since I personally have had to do “freecycling” and “Freesaling” (after garage sales on Saturdays). The one think that i am disappointed with is there treatment of the finds when they are done the show. They throw the stuff in the garbage. At my local dump in the Kootenay Boundary Region in BC they have a “Reuse center” where you can drop off perfectly usable items like those which the junk raiders throw from second floor windows down a chute and break. At the “reuse center” anybody can then drop by and pick up the items for free. The “reuse center” gets the junk off of the curbs and keeps it dry and usable for longer. I am proud that my regional district supports this kind of support for lower income families and people who want to “reuse” which is a much more important “R” than “Recycling”.

    I think if they want to take this show further they should open up “Junk Raiders Reuse centers” and let other people benefit from the collecting every show.

    Reducing is paramount to have a sustainable future but Reusing is very close behind and should be taken more seriously before we look to recycle.

    “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”

  5. Hello

    My name is Hans Wagar of Vancouver, B.C. I meet your criteria, I possess all the skills mentioned for your show. Both my friend and I are incredible as a team, he is amazing at sourcing materials. His name is David Goguen and can be reached at 604.642.5957 or by email at dgoguen7@shaw.ca. You can see my website still under development, however it does showcase furniture and other pieces that I made from recycled materials.

    I can be reached via email or by phone at 604.720.0657

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