Mary Lou Van Deventer

Urban Ore is a local business that salvages for reuse at the Berkeley transfer station, picks up unwanted things when called, and receives up to 100 vehicles a day carrying unwanted but still-useful goods. Urban Ore treats the discards as merchandise and sell them at retail. Urban Ore has three acres of secondhand stuff, including doors, windows, sinks, tubs, toilets, fencing, cabinets, hardware, old gas stoves, sporting goods, furniture, housewares, books, clothing, art supplies, home electronics, jewelry, collectibles, and lots of et cetera. One of the departments, Urban Ore Development Associates, also designs Zero Waste systems and Total Recycling facilities for communities.  

Urban Ore’s corporate purpose is To End the Age of Waste. “Waste” isn’t waste until it’s wasted. Urban Ore develops products without pollution.

Urban Ore
Co-Owner