If You Study Garbage You Will Not Be Unemployed

In 2000-2001, the Hartford, CT Housing Authority was the first in the nation to make building deconstruction required under its HUD HOPE VI grant to demolish the sprawling Stowe Village Public Housing Project. The project was a component of the Authority’s innovative Family Reunification program. Ten unemployed Black and Latino men and women were trained for … Read More

Valuing Overlooked Resources Improves Life In Chicago: The Resource Center

Overview One organization in Chicago has figured out how to extract value from resources that the economy deems useless. The Resource Center works by coupling valuable resources that would otherwise become trash with valuable workers who would otherwise be unemployed. Their work ultimately minimizes the waste the city produces and creates good jobs that enhance the … Read More

Ideal Redesign: The European Street Design Challenge

Every year since 2010, teams of highly skilled designers from all over the world have competed to find the best solutions to urban challenges in major European cities such as Paris, Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg. This competition is the heart of the European Street Design Challenge. With the cooperation of local government officials, areas within the … Read More

The (Small) Private Sector to the Rescue: RoadRunner Recycling, Inc.

There is not much information about private sector recycling in US cities. Recycling studies and statistics typically focus on household recycling while the commercial recycling levels are mostly educated guesses. The US EPA estimates that 35% of commercial and household municipal waste is recycled. Cities in the last decade have adopted single stream recycling at the … Read More

City of Frederick Key to Recycling in Frederick County, Maryland

Twelve and a half years ago, Frederick County proposed to build a 1,500 ton-per-day garbage incinerator to manage its waste. The County was forced to kill the proposal 2.5 years ago when organized citizens pointed out the financial risks. The City of Frederick, with 70,000 of the County’s 250,000 population, its own collection crews, landfill and … Read More

Working Partner Update: DC Environmental Network

The DC Environmental Network reports on the budget implications for recycling in Washington, DC and  vows to make changes. See DCEN director Chris Weiss’ report:   Mayor Bowser Cuts Recycling Budget! April 17, 2017 DC Environmental Network: Last Wednesday, the DC Environmental Network (DCEN), DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), and District Department of Public Works (DPW), … Read More

Report: Why Should Baltimore Recycle More?

There are two primary reasons why Baltimore should invest in more recycling. Establishing high recycling levels will position the city’s residents and businesses for the future, when the costs of incineration and landfill will be more expensive. The city could save citizens and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars by shrinking its waste stream for the next generation.… Read More

Working Partner Update: Tracking History and Developments in U.S. E-Scrap

An Interview with Jim Lynch, Senior Staff Writer, TechSoup.org. TechSoup is a nonprofit organization that has been operating since 1987 to provide donated and discounted mainstream software, IT equipment and technical assistance to 501c3 organizations, foundations, public libraries and churches in the US and overseas. Over one million organizations benefit from participating in TechSoup’s network, 250,000 … Read More

Working Partner Update: Second Chance is Paying It Forward

Second Chance is a deconstruction and resale social enterprise in Baltimore, MD. The non-profit enterprise employs 165 workers recruited from hard to employ residents of Baltimore. It literally provides a second chance for people as well as building commodities. In this March 2017 report we find heartwarming and uplifting stories about their adventures in reuse. Thanks to Second Chance … Read More

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