Rural Action, started in the early 1990s by the Appalachian Public Interest Campaign as a member-based agency to focus on regional revitalization, may be the first self-conscious Zero Waste organization that initiated reuse and recycling infrastructure planning for rural development. The organization is centered on the eight counties surrounding Athens (Hopkins County) in southern Ohio, including communities in Kentucky and West Virginia. [1] AceNet, a non-profit kitchen, provides small caterers with the kitchen facilities they need to sustain small businesses. Rural Action [2] also assisted in getting ReUse Industries (now Upcycle Ohio Thrift) off the ground in the 1990s, helping to launch what has become Maker Space and Tool Library.

The Zero Waste program is based on sharing facilities, transportation and market information for recyclable and compostable materials and repaired products.

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