Reuse is about extending the life of a product and replacing the need for a new product.
Conventional Reuse – Using item as is e.g., thrift stores and yard sales Adaptive Reuse—Using item for new purpose e.g., refurbishing an old building for a new purpose Collaborative Consumption/Sharing Economy e.g., share ownership, trade, and rent
Creative Reuse (upcycling or repurposing) - making new products from old ones e.g., furniture made from pallets Deconstruction - reusing components of dismantled building e.g., wood flooring and fixtures Durables - goods designed to replace disposables/single-use items e.g., metal, glass, or plastic refillable water bottles
Refurbishing—repairing, testing, & verifying item functions properly e.g., r efurbished electronics Remanufacturing—disassembling, repairing, & reassembling to equal performance of new OEM product e.g., r emanufactured toner cartridges
Government, nonprofit, schools, for profit Can be any size Operated by paid staff, volunteers, or a combination
More than 20,000 square feet of store space Variety of household & building materials at affordable prices
Social gathering where people share repair skills Mend clothes, re-wire lamps, vacuums, electronics, etc. Teach others how to mend and repair items
Conserves energy & raw materials Reduces disposal needs & costs Reduces purchasing costs Returns products & materials back into the economy, benefiting society Textiles & other items sold or exported return monies to local/regional economies
Source: More Jobs Less Pollution, Tellus Institute & Sound Resource Management, 2011
We’re experts in Waste reduction, reuse, & recycling Recycling program design & implementation Organics management Green procurement C&D reuse & recycling Electronics recycling School reuse, recycling & composting Textile recycling programs Multi-stakeholder dialogues & negotiations & More! Fee for service makes NERC’s sustainable materials management expertise available at a reasonable price with outstanding results! Mary Ann Remolador