Grocery shopping is getting an upgrade in Portland, OR! 

Starting in January, 2023, it will be possible to buy and use a product, and then drop it off to be sanitized and refilled for a future customer. Instead of consuming energy by recycling and using raw materials to create new packaging, bottles and jars will simply stay in use.

Fiji has become the first nation in the Pacific to formally acknowledge “waste pickers” — who repurpose, resell, and recycle rubbish for a living — as the environmental champions that they are, and the positive environmental benefit of their work. 

Read the full article at Global Citizen.

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.

The Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners recently released a report detailing ways forward for durable reusable packaging systems that reduce the need for single-use packaging. In the report, Bringing Reusable Packaging Systems to Life, Closed Loop Partners draw on insights from multiple reusable cup pilots conducted in partnership with the NextGen Consortium and IDEO, outlining key lessons learned and sharing a blueprint and open-source resource to encourage collaboration and the growth of reuse models.

Nike started selling sneakers from its new Space Hippie collection. The footwear is constructed from factory and post-consumer waste that the sportswear company calls “space junk.” Space Hippie consists of four different silhouettes: 01, 02, 03, and 04. Nike’s manufacturing process for the footwear uses around 85–90% recycled polyester yarn, recycled foam, and a blended “Crater foam.” The result is a design that has a low carbon footprint, the company said.

The pandemic is changing the dialogue around reusable packaging, although not everyone agrees that this shift is necessarily a bad one.

The digital divide has always been a serious problem, but in the era of COVID-19 its dire. Free Geek has been on the front lines of bridging the digital divide and right now the demand for Free Geek’s low to no cost computers is higher than ever in our history.  Hundreds of thousands in our community are not connected to the internet or need a device to access it. Seniors need vital access to their doctors through telehealth appointments, workers need access to devices to continue their work from home and students need access to machines so that they complete their school work.

As the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread nationwide, Than Moore, a physician’s assistant at UVM Medical Center, began to notice two problems that he suspected might have one solution.

Moore thought that the thousands of canceled graduation ceremonies offered an opportunity: Why not repurpose gowns as part of the protective gear needed for health care workers who are struggling to find enough supplies during the pandemic? To answer that question, he launched a website to help grads and healthcare workers make the connection.

Construction and Demolition Debris Management in the United States

DEQ’s Materials Management Workforce Development grants for repair and reuse businesses are accepting applications now through May 8th. Grants will support repair and reuse activities.  DEQ is seeking proposals for projects that will extend the lifespan of products and materials already in circulation through reuse, repair, salvaging, refurbishment or remanufacturing (together referred to as “reuse and repair”).