INNOVATIVE REUSE PROGRAMS AND

STRATEGIES

Athena Lee Bradley Northeast Recycling Council www.NERC.org

This material is based upon work supported under a grant by the Utilities Programs,

United States Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or

recommendations expressed in this material are solely the responsibility of the author

and does not necessarily represent the official view of the Utilities Programs.

Reuse – What is it? • “The use of a product more than once in its same

form for the same or similar purpose.”

• “Reuse involves extending the life of a product by 1) using it more than once (same or new function), 2) repairing it so it can be used longer (replacing the need for a new item), 3) sharing or renting it, or 4) selling or donating it to another party.”

Types of Reuse • Adaptive Reuse—refurbishing an old/disused

building for a new purpose • A defunct hotel turned into a seniors housing complex or

an empty big box store is turned into a community center • Collaborative Consumption (“sharing economy”)—

economic model based on swapping, trading, or renting

• Conventional Reuse—item is used again, as-is, for the same function for which it was manufactured • Clothing, household items, furniture, etc. resale or

exchanges

Types of Reuse, cont. • Creative Reuse (“upcycling” or repurposing)—

bringing a new function to unwanted materials • Furniture made of old sign posts, jewelry made of scrap

materials • Deconstruction—selectively dismantling a building

into its components for reuse &/or recycling • Durables—goods designed to be used for many

years &/or to replace disposables/single-use items • Metal, glass, or plastic refillable water bottles

Types of Reuse, cont. • Freecycling—giving away unwanted, but usable, items

instead of disposing of them. • Online groups that help facilitate exchanges for their members

• Materials Exchange (“waste exchange”)—a service that facilitates the exchange of goods between an entity that has usable goods they no longer need to another organization that can use them. • Typically done through brokering &/or an automated online interface

• Reclamation (“salvage”)—collecting & often reprocessing discarded materials for reuse • Old barn wood transformed into “new” flooring

Types of Reuse, cont. • Rental (“sharing economy”)—items are shared &/or rented

among a group of users • Zip Car, Tool Banks

• Refurbish—used products have either been tested & verified to function properly as-is, &/or items are repaired ensuring they function properly • Refurbished electronics

• Remanufacturing—disassembling, repairing & reassembling a (used) product so that it matches the performance of a new product • Requires the repair &/or replacement of components that are worn

out, obsolete, &/or subject to degradation • Toner remanufacturing

Types of Reuse, cont. • Repair—Recondition an item to be used for the same

function it was manufactured for • Clothing & shoe repair

• Reusable—an item is manufactured to be used over & over again, & replace disposable/single-use items • Metal water bottles; reusable bags; lunch boxes, etc.

Advantages of Reuse • Conserves energy & raw materials through

purchasing reused items instead of buying new ones

• Returns products & materials back into the economy, benefiting society

• Reduces disposal needs &costs • Fosters job training programs & local job creation • Some older items were better handcrafted &

appreciate in value

Advantages of Reuse • Provides cost savings for consumers as reused

items are typically less expensive than similar products purchased new

• “Secondhand” markets for manufacturing facilities—from textiles to chemical production—provide access to usable equipment and materials

• Used industrial, construction, and medical equipment are also readily available

Reuse Creates Jobs • Reusing 10,000 tons of waste creates 41-216 jobs • Recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 61-213 jobs • Incinerating or landfilling 10,000 tons of waste

creates 6 jobs

Common Sources of Used Goods • On-line auctions and markets • Secondhand stores • Reuse building material stores • Classified advertisements • Estate sales • Auctions • Rummage sales • Yard sales • Salvage yards • Materials exchanges

Communities gain from keeping reusable resources local and

supporting local reuse businesses. Textiles and other items sold to regional

or export markets also return monies to the local economy.

Reuse, remanufacturing, repair, and refurbishment of products and parts

economically benefits consumers.

Impossible Dream Thrift Store

Getting Started • Consider the goals of the program & the needs of

the community • Consider setting up a volunteer “reuse committee”

• Program options • Items to collect • Plan & design permanent programs, such as reuse sheds or, types of reuse events & logistics • Form a pool of volunteers to work on getting the program

started & staffing

Reuse Programs

Ongoing or “permanent” reuse programs

• Can be provided by municipal governments, such as a reuse shed at a transfer station

• Nonprofit organizations, including “reuse centers,” teacher supply depots, & charitable donation retail stores

• For-profit businesses, including textile recyclers • Schools, such as material or “waste” exchanges • Other entities-farmer gleaning programs • Ongoing programs can be any size & may be operated by

paid staff, volunteers, or a combination

Examples of ongoing reuse programs • Reuse shed, swap shop, swap table • Reuse Centers • Restores (reused building supply stores) • Textile drives • Community reuse guide • Fix-It Cafes or Fix-It Clinics/Fixer Collectives • Repair or tool libraries • Food recovery

Examples of ongoing reuse programs • Bicycle repair/reuse • Materials exchange • Reusable bag promotion • Reuse education—libraries, schools • Recraft shops • Teacher’s exchanges/school supply exchanges • Household good exchanges • Searchable swap databases/website

Community Reuse Guide

Reuse sheds • Reuse or swap sheds or “Take-it or Leave it” areas • Designed in a variety of ways

• Kitchen & household items, games, tools, toys, etc. • Or, for specific items, such as books • Paint & useable household cleaners, and similar products

• Encourage the reuse of items by providing an exchange site

• Residents may bring unwanted items in good condition and/or take items at no charge

Location, Design, Budget, & Policies • Where is the best location to open a reuse shed?

The town transfer station? Public Works building? • Is there an existing structure suitable for the reuse

shed? • Or, is a building to be purchased or built? • What funding is available for renovation or

purchase? • If it’s a new building, where will it be placed? • What’s the proposed budget?

Location, Design…cont. • What materials are targeted?

• All reusable items? • Only specified items, such as books? Paint?

• What policies should govern the shed? What items will not be accepted?

• What design (floor plan, shelving, etc.) makes most sense, given the space available, materials to be accepted, etc.

• How will shelving, tables, signage, etc. be obtained & installed • How will shelves and tables be labeled?

Maintenance & Operation • Who will staff the shed? • How will acceptable items be determined? Who will

monitor to ensure unacceptable items are not left? • How often will it be opened? • How will products be tracked to ensure items

move? • Who is responsible for building maintenance? • Who will be responsible for keeping the area clean

& orderly?

Legal Questions, Liabilities, etc.

• What sort of liability release will you have? • Will signage suffice, or is a written form to be required?

• If the shed is for paint/hazardous items, how will the usability of items be determined? • How will proper labeling of products be ensured? • Will potentially hazardous materials be accepted in

corroded containers? How will these be handled?

• Will there be a sign-in required?

Other Issues • If the shed is for paint and other potentially

hazardous items, consider necessary precautions, such as having a spill kit in or near the location? • Are MSDS sheets kept on hand? • Will products that emit fumes be accepted? How

about ignitable? Poisonous products? Corrosive products?

• If so is the shed or swap area ventilated • Is the staff properly trained to handle these

items?

Other Issues • Will other recordkeeping be required? Who will be

responsible? • If staffing for the reuse shed is done by volunteers

or an additional staff person, is there a chair available for them? Other accommodations?

• If the shed is a multi-use shed, for non-hazardous and hazardous items, plan on clearly having segregated locations for each category/type of item

Reuse Center Start-Up

Deconstructing the Interior

Progress is Made

Creative Reuse Centers • Scrap stores or teacher resource centers • Collect & distribute unwanted industrial,

commercial, and residential items • Services for teachers, artists, families, nonprofit

organizations, & others • Some focus on supplying materials for art

organizations, while others operate specifically to benefit teachers & schools

Scrap Exchange Retail Store Artist Marketplace • Handcrafted artwork and gifts from local artists and makers Vintage Village • Vintage, antique, collectible or otherwise uber-cool Blue Barrel Zone • Fill a bag with an assortment of materials from our iconic blue

barrels Crafts • Craft supplies at 50%-75% less than the big box craft stores • Craft books, scrapbook supplies, rubber stamps, beads, craft

paint, art supplies, kids crafts, floral supplies and more Containers • Variety of container options including plastic containers,

cardboard boxes, gift boxes, glass jars, wood boxes, wicker baskets, tins, and more

Scrap Exchange, cont. Paper • New paper, scrap paper, reclaimed paper, mostly priced at $1 per

pound. Some specialty paper may be priced higher • Paper types include wallpaper, paper samples, office paper,

sticker paper, rolls of paper, vinyl paper, and more Office Supplies • Set up your office or get ready for school with paper, envelopes,

manilla folders, desk organizers and more Sewing and Fabric • Sewing notions, thread, zippers, yarn, ribbons and trims, fabric by

the yard, fabric remnants, fabric scraps, fabric samples, and more AV and Electronics • Assortment of used vinyl record albums, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, as

well as the equipment to play them on. Bulk quantities also available for art-making!

Building Materials Reuse • Accept donations of or purchase used building materials for

resale • Some also offer deconstruction services

• Disassembling buildings to recover and reuse their components and materials for use in new construction and renovation.

• Supplements demolition or replace typical demolition.

• Reduces the need for new building resources • Reduces landfill/incinerator disposal • Creates value-added materials for reuse

• Helping to create job opportunities • Provides communities with relatively low cost building supplies

Recycle Ann Arbor’s ReUse Center • More than 20,000 square feet of store space • Variety of household & building materials at affordable

prices

Book Collections

Textiles

• 14.3 million tons of textiles in 2012—5.7 % of MSW

• 14.4 % of clothing and footwear textiles & 17.8 % of other textiles (sheets/pillowcases ) was recovered for export or reprocessing

• The textile recycling rate (not including reuse) for all textiles was 15.7 % in 2012 or around 2.3 million tons

Textile Reuse • Often done happens through charity organizations

who accept a range of items for donation to those in need and/or resale.

• Items need to be kept clean and free from moisture • Collectors provide enclosed drop-off boxes for

clothing, shoes, and other textiles • Can also typically be dropped off at charitable

organization resale stores • Some communities will provide curbside collection

of textiles, collection at transfer stations

Materials Exchanges • Connects those with unwanted items or materials with

others who are looking for the same type of item or material • Operate by providing newsletter, catalog, or on-line listings

of "materials available" or "materials wanted" • Serve as a contact point or broker • May be member-based or open • Some will have a fee structure for each exchange, either a set

fee per transaction, or a fee based on a percentage of the net value of the material • Other exchanges operate free of charge

• Businesses & industries • Some allow not-for-profit organizations & even residents

Repair Café

Fix Mix • Social gathering where people meet to use and share their

skills to repair items that might otherwise be tossed into a landfill

• People mend clothes, re-wire lamps, and research and repair all sorts of items

• Participants will also teach others how to mend and repair items.

•

Reuse Events

Reuse Events

• Can be one-time events, semi-annual, or annual events

• Communities can benefit from pooling promotional resources and holding events together

• Events can be held anytime of the year; evenings and weekends

Types of Reuse Events • Toy Exchange (great for the holidays) • Kid’s Stuff Exchange • Durable medical equipment collection (can be

combined with other events – e.g., sharps collection, unwanted medication collections)

• Community-wide garage sales or Community “Tail-Gate” Tag Sale

• Reuse/Recycled Art Rally • Combined “exchanges”: reusable plastics; usable

bikes; plant pot & tray swap/collection

Types of Reuse Events

•Halloween costume exchange •Prom dress/tux exchanges at schools •ReUse Arts Show and Sale •Community Trunk Sale & Flea Market •Drop and Swap Event •Free piles •U Price it Sales

Initial Planning

•What type of event will be held? •When and where will the event be held? •Who will be responsible for planning, implementing , and staffing the event? Will volunteers be used? Will additional services be required, such as hauling services?

Initial Planning

•How much will the event cost? •How will the event be paid for? Will admission, participation, or “permit” fees be charged?

•What will be the measure of success for the event (e.g., quantity of material, number of participants, etc.)?

Planning and Coordinating • May take up to three months, depending on event,

local government requirements, experience • Time for obtaining any permits, insurance, and

other necessary requirements may add to this • Annual events may require less planning time • Partnerships may help to reduce needed planning

time • Define roles, funding, & other responsibilities before

planning begins

Type of Event

• Host a drop-off event – one-time or periodic • Add items to an existing household hazardous

waste drop-off event, such as a spring/fall cleanup day

• Allow for ongoing, permanent drop-off at existing recycling, solid waste transfer or household hazardous waste facilities

• Determine which materials you will collect (e.g. books, furniture, clothing, bicycles, scrap metal, etc.)

Budget and Funding

• What is the anticipated cost of the event? • Securing volunteers to help organize and staff an

event • Arranging for sponsored or donated resources,

such as equipment, advertising, location, contractual services • Hauling of leftover items, any needed disposal or recycling

Budget Items to Consider • Public outreach • Operations costs – labor, equipment and supplies, and

perhaps site rental • Transportation costs – costs for transportation of donated

items • Usually billed per mile/hour, including driver labor & shipping

supplies • Many charities & scrap vendors do not charge

• Are volunteers available to work the day of the event? • Is a regional event possible?

• Costs could be split

Covering Event Costs • Charge a fee for those that drop off items at an

event that will cost the municipality to recycle • e.g. electronics and household hazardous products, which

could cover all or part of the applicable costs • Use government funds (from property tax, waste or

recycling fee revenue) to cover all or part of costs • Use in-kind contributions from government and

private sources to cover costs (publicity, labor, equipment)

Tasks to Complete Before the Event Pick the Location for the Event

• Reasonably well known in the community, or at least be conveniently located and visible to the public.

• Good street access, so people can easily enter the site without creating backups or traffic delays

• Avoid sites that have only one point of entry, or require people to make left turns on busy streets

• The space or parking lot should be large enough to safely accommodate traffic, donation/recycling vehicles, and event staff

Before Event Tasks, cont.

Get Permission to Hold the Event • Early approval for an event should be a top

priority in the planning process. • Delays in approval can mean fewer publicity

opportunities due to compressed time lines • Establish good communications with the property

owner, occupant or manager • Provide them with good information about the

event and what to expect

Before Event Tasks, cont. • Identify who will be the person to “make the call” for using a

site. • For example, is it a school principal or will the school district need to

sign off on using a school parking lot? • Review the event objectives; address questions and

concerns • Be prepared to answer questions about your event – who, what, when,

where, why & how. • Have information about events that have been done elsewhere

• Check about insurance requirements • Check with municipal offices – usually the Planning, Health

or Public Works Department – to determine needed permits (event, sign or tent permits)

Before Event Tasks, cont. • Identify organizations and businesses that will accept the

materials being collected • What services you would like the recycler to provide (labor,

equipment, transportation and recycling), including any specific environmental management needs, such as domestic disassembly (for consumer electronics)

• Solicit proposal, or bids, as necessary • Determine short-list based on cost, experience and environmental

performance • Check references and previous contracts for companies on the short list • Select a company that provides the best value in terms of your program

goals • Arrange for trash container for items that can’t be reused or

recycled

Before Event Tasks, cont. Consumer Education and Outreach • Provide enough information for participants to understand what

they need to do • Inadequate information can discourage participation or inundate

you with calls

Information to include: • Event location • Dates and times for the event • Products accepted and NOT accepted • Whether there will be any user fees • Contact information for more information

Before Event Tasks, cont. Some publicity options:

• Print, radio and television advertisements • Announcements in local recycling newsletters(including

electronic newsletters and websites), prepared by city or county recycling offices

• Special inserts in bills (water, utility or solid waste bill) • Press releases and calls to local media to generate news

reports • Handouts at local stores and other sites, such as

household hazardous waste collections

Timeline Three Months Before the Event • Determine type of event, participants (residents,

businesses), & dates & times • Seek partner commitments to support event • Decide which items you will collect • List specific collection, sorting, processing activities needed • Determine activities you will carry out and activities you

will rely on reuse or recycling organizations to do • Research permit requirements • Determine type of publicity to be used

Timeline Two Months Before the Event • Finalize site location choice & ensure all necessary

permission is in place • Select reuse organizations • Arrange any additional recycling services – batteries,

cardboard or paper recycling • Finalize details of publicity and advertising materials

(locations, times, dates) • Send out notices and information with long lead times

(newsletters, bill inserts) • Create on-site signs or handouts to those recycling

participants

Timeline One Month-to-Two Weeks Before the Event • Confirm data collection needs for measurement and

reporting • Recruit volunteer staff, if necessary, and provide guidance

on event (e.g., what to wear, traffic control, hours, etc.) • Confirm insurance coverage is in place • Contact local police department and traffic control

authorities, as necessary • Distribute initial consumer notices about recycling • Send advertising & other publicity copy and art, as

necessary

Timeline One Week Before the Event • Reconfirm all staffing, equipment, reuse and

recycling service arrangements • Ensure event staff have access to water and rest

rooms • Make arrangements for collecting fees, if necessary

(staff, petty cash, security) • Get supplies – traffic cones, tape, tools,

refreshments • Send out press release and contact local reporters

several days before event

Day Before/Day of the Event • Follow up on advertising and promotions, contact local news

outlets • Prepare site early with reuse organizations and other on-site staff • Re-connect with property management before event begins;

exchange contact information and establish protocol for addressing unexpected issues

• Coordinate and manage on-site staff • Estimate is 6-10 staff for events of 150-200 cars served

• Greet participants and interested constituents or supporters • Collect data, including how much of each material was collected

and participants and any survey information, in order to document your event to help with future funding and support

Follow-up • Create a report describing the event

• To assist planning, funding requests, cost assessments and other analysis for future events

• Brief description of program objective of the event • Dates and locations of the event • Number of participants • Types and quantities of materials collected • Contact information for those seeking more detailed

information about the event • Draft a press release publicizing the results

Follow-up Communication with Partners • After the event is complete, it is good to communicate with

all parties involved in the event • Send appreciation letters to each participating organization • Establish time frame for the reuse and recycling

organizations to report back to you on types and quantities of material collected during the event

Toy Swap

Auction

Promotion, Outreach, & Training

Measuring the Impact of Reuse • Number of tons diverted from the landfill • Avoided disposal costs (donor/seller) • Avoided purchase costs (recipient/buyer) • Value of materials donated (donor) • Revenues earned (donor/seller) • Jobs created or retained in reuse businesses • Number of families/individuals/organizations assisted

NERC Can Help We’re experts in Waste reduction & recycling Recycling program design &

implementation Organics management Green procurement C&D reuse & recycling Electronics recycling School reuse, recycling &

composting Textile recycling programs Multi-stakeholder dialogues &

negotiations & More!

Fee for service program makes NERC’s

sustainable materials management

expertise available at a reasonable price with

outstanding results

Athena Lee Bradley athena@nerc.org

802.254.3636 www.nerc.org