ReUSE is FUNdamental
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Transcript of ReUSE is FUNdamental
ReUse is FUNdamental!Karen BouquillonWaste Management SupervisorNorthampton Department of Public Works
Northampton Massachusetts
Population 28,501
Two transfer stations serving 4000 households
No curbside services
Regional landfill closing April 2013
Ongoing drop-off programsWhite goods (including appliances with Freon, stoves, washers & dryers, etc.)
Scrap metal (includes all electronics except cathode ray tubes (CRTs)Used books & electronic media (DVD’s, CD’s, games, etc.)
Universal waste (Hg wastes, CFLs and fluorescent bulbs)Bulky waste (furniture, construction & demo waste)
CRT’s (computer monitors and televisions)Used oil, antifreeze and vehicle batteries
Clothing, textiles, shoes & accessoriesFood waste & non-recyclable paper
Propane tanks & fire extinguishersMattresses and box springs
Sharps (ongoing & events)Rechargeable batteries
Bulky rigid plasticsLeaf & yard wastePrinter cartridgesVegetable oilThermostats Clean woodCell phonesEyeglasses
TiresAsh
One-day events for difficult-to-recycle materials
Unwanted medications & pharmaceuticalsNon-recyclable plastic food packaging
Electronic media (e.g.VHS tapes) Household Hazardous Waste
Confi denti al papersBulky rigid plastics
Pellet fuel bagsChristmas trees
ElectronicsStyrofoam
Sharps
Facets of ReUse Encouraging the use of reusable products
shopping totes water bottles
Facilitating the transfer of ownership identify/promote existing reuse opportunities one-day exchange events permanent reuse center
Identifying alternative uses upcycling into new products arts & crafts
Restoring products to their original function local repair options repair café
Reaching out to people & organizations with limited means upgrades to new gadgets/stuff creates generous supply reuse has valuable social benefits
Identify local opportunities and help get the word out!Support/promote existing reuse options
Non-profits (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc) For-profits (consignment stores, used book sellers, etc) Online exchanges (Freecycle, Craigslist, MA Materials Trader)
Form partnerships Businesses, non-profits, schools, media, retailers, etc.
Fill in the gaps Continuously seek new market destinations Listen to what people want to reduce, recycle & reuse
Examples of community one-day reuse events
Books- League of Women Voters & Leeds Elementary School Coat drives- Survival Center & Interfaith Homeless Shelter
Antiques & Ephemera- Cooley Dickenson HospitalSWAP meet- Williston Northampton School
Flea markets- Council on Aging & othersSkate and Ski Swap- Lions Club
Clothing consignment fairTag sales- churches
and others!
Community partners helped to promote reuse in CY12:Big Y (donations for events)Bikes Not Bombs (bike collection)sEcoBuilding Bargains (building materials collection)Dakin Center (received pet-related donations at bulky rigid plastics collection)Daily Hampshire Gazette (promotion)GreenNorthampton (promotion and volunteer recruitment)Jackson Street Elementary School & JFK Middle School PTO (promotion and electronics collection)Ken Johnson (pellet bag collection)Knack (ReUse Arts Organization)League of Women Voters (book collection)Lou’s UpCycles (packaging fair and Rally for the Arts)Northampton Education Foundation (plant pots & trays collection)Northampton High School culinary arts program (refreshments)Northampton High School Environmental Club (volunteers) Northampton Police Department (durable medical equipment collection)Northampton Board of Health (sharps collection)Northampton Community Access Television (promotion)Northampton Council on Aging (provided site for paper shredding event and promotion)Northampton Parents Center (volunteers and promotion)Paradise Copies (discounted printing)costs)ProShred (paper shredding)ReFoamIt (Styrofoam collections)Salvation Army (collections of textiles and household goods)Smith Vocational High School (access to facilities for events)Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (bulky rigid plastics pilot project)Stavros Center for Independent Living (durable medical equipment collection)The BagShare Project (packaging fair)Thirty professional reuse artists (Reuse Rally for the Arts)Unitarian Church (speaking engagement)
2012 DEP Grant Goals Sponsor at least 4 one-day reuse events before 7/1/13
Target products/materials with reuse potential outside of the “mainstream”
Educate the public about local reuse opportunities
Create partnerships with re-use & other community organizations
Develop a trained & committed group of volunteers
Create a sustainable venue where materials & goods are offered for re-use at least 2X year
Work towards long-term goals (permanent reuse center, resource recovery park, repair cafe, etc)
One-day reuse events2010 bulky rigid plastics (1)2011 plastic plant pots & trays (1)
textile drives (2) holiday toy exchange (1) bicycles (1)
2012 bulky rigid plastics (2) plastic plant pots & trays (1) textile drives (3) holiday toy exchange (1)bicycles (2) building materials (1)durable medical equipment (1) reuse artists show & sale (1) community tag sale (1)
One-day reuse events, continued2013 March children’s clothing, toys, books & sporting goods
April community tag saledurable medical equipmenttextile drive
May plastic plant pots & trays gardener’s stuff exchange
June textile drive bulky rigid plastics
bicycles September reuse artists show & sale October children’s clothing & Halloween costume
exchange November community tag sale December holiday toy exchange
ReUse Guides
City-wide mailings…
Challenges & Issues Quality control
Accepting/sorting/preparing stuff for reuse is labor-intensive Convenience
When people are done with something, they want it to go away! If continuous reuse options are unavailable, sufficient notice about periodic/seasonal collection events is essential
Carbon footprintTagging on with other community events and/or collecting multiple materials can reduce impacts (e.g., collecting Styrofoam)
Inappropriate behaviorsDealers & black Friday frenzies & dump /run junk & greediness…
Some good stuff can’t be reused (e.g., child car seats)
The “three-ring circus” modelPublic educationIt’s difficult to communicate important details if too many
new materials/products are collected at a one-day event (what’s acceptable & what’s not, where to go on site, etc)
Increased participationMultiple materials/products = more reasons to make an effort
Partnerships • increase promotion & outreach• educate the public about existing local reuse options• supply or supplement the workforce• allows the event organizer to focus on new initiatives
The wild frontier of reuse…-Take some risks! -Learn from successes & failures!
Bulky rigid plastics
Bulky rigid plastics, bikes & textiles
Bulky Rigid Plastics ReUse Opportunities
Partnering with community events
Toy Exchange
Community tag sale
Karen Bouquillon, Waste Management Supervisor Northampton Department of Public Works
413.587.1059 [email protected]