Random Acts Of Flowers recycles floral bouquets to re-gift to strangers

Cathy Palivos sorts through a massive box of scarlet roses with deft fingers. “See here,” she says, pressing the pad of her thumb against the rose. “Always check to see if it has a hard centre. It means it will last another five days.”

Palivos, a volunteer from north suburban Evanston, Chicago, is sorting flowers: one rose goes in a bubble gum-pink vase, another in a black recycling bin. Some of the flowers are nearing the end of their life. Earlier in the week, a bride clutched the roses at her chilly January wedding. Soon they’ll be re-purposed and delivered to a resident at a local senior care facility.