Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub

WHO WE ARE

The Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub formed from four previously temporary recycling and reuse programs with a combined 26 years of history and a combined 465 tons of items collected.  The programs joined forces in 2020 to create a permanent, year-round location for people to drop off hard-to-recycle items, allowing all four programs to expand their capacities.  Our board members all have backgrounds in sustainability, including members who ran the original programs and similar programs, environmental and science educators, and members who try to live with as little waste as possible.  Currently, the Hub is run entirely by volunteers, except for a part-time warehouse manager and part-time driver.  We recently received grant funding, though, to hire two additional part-time employees (an Electronics/Universal Waste Collections Lead and an Off-site Collections/Neighborhood Ambassador Program Coordinator).  

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

Data from multiple United Nations' reports state the "point of no return" for climate change is 2030, meaning, if the rate of greenhouse gas production does not fall by then, the effects of climate change may not be reversible.  Increases in greenhouse gases, including methane and carbon dioxide, have led to increased global temperatures, which have affected atmospheric and ocean currents worldwide.  Because of these changes, there are increasingly more wildfires, more violent storms, more flooding, and more droughts.  All of these "natural disasters" in turn affect where people live, what their livelihoods are/may be, and whether they will have adequate access for water and food.  Lower income communities, especially communities of color, feel those effects more acutely, since they have fewer resources to draw from when the disasters occur.  

One way to reduce the rate of greenhouse gas production is to reduce the resources needed to create new products.  This can be done by educating people about the "true cost" of the items they buy (taking into account the resources needed to create and dispose of the items) so that they reduce the amount of unnecessary items they buy, they reuse what they can, and they pass on for recycling or reuse what they no longer need.

Although there are systems in place with curbside recycling and various reuse outlets (Goodwill, etc.) to take care of many items, it's difficult for people to know all of the various locations where items can go and it's inconvenient for them to take things to multiple locations.  The Hub facilitates increased recycling and reuse by having one central drop-off location for many items.  However, we know there are sometimes barriers to participating at the Hub's warehouse location, including lack of transportation and lack of fees for the items that require them for drop-off (electronics, batteries, lightbulbs, etc.).  

Because many of the items that require fees also contain hazardous components, increased recycling for those items minimizes the risk of environmental contamination and potential adverse health effects from the improper disposal of these items.  For instance, cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs have lead in their screens, mercury in their tubes, and cadmium in other components.  Fluorescent lightbulbs contain mercury.  Batteries contain many potentially toxic metals, and damaged lithium batteries in particular can cause fires.  All of these substances have a range of health effects, including brain damage (especially for children); anemia; kidney damage; irritation to the skin, eyes, and stomach; respiratory issues; bone disease; and, in some cases, death. To break down some of the barriers to recycling and to help improve the health of residents in the Greater Cincinnati area, we are beginning to have off-site collection events for these items, including events for low-income neighborhoods where the costs for the events are covered by grant funding and other donations.

OUR IMPACT

After being sorted, many of the items for reuse go to local and national non-profits to allow those organizations to more effectively carry out their missions.  (For instance, we donate wrapped utensils and plastic "carry out" bags to various food pantries and soup kitchens, and prescription bottles go to Matthew 25:Ministries for their disaster relief programs.)  Other items for reuse are taken by members of the public for their own use, whether it be for Scout troops they lead, for classrooms they teach in, or for their own businesses and homes.

Since we opened our doors on April 1, 2021, we've diverted over 130 tons of materials from the landfill, including 62 tons of electronics, 7 tons of Styrofoam (7 semi trailers' worth), 17 tons of plastic not accepted in curbside bins, and 1.5+ tons of universal waste (lightbulbs and batteries) sent for recycling, and over 31 tons of items, such as fabric swatches, office supplies, prescription bottles, flooring samples, egg cartons, corks, and more taken or sent for reuse.