Today is National Reuse Day and the Austin EcoNetwork is celebrating with some big news. We’ve been working hard on an exciting new project for several months now and we’re happy to announce that it will be coming to you in early November. It’s called the Austin Reuse Directory and we hope it allows you to reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill.

So what is the Austin Reuse Directory?
The Austin Reuse Directory is a project from the Austin EcoNetwork, supported by Austin Resource Recovery, designed to make it as easy as possible for Austinites to find a second home for everyday items. Reuse saves items from the landfill and makes them available to your neighbors, who can use them again.

Austin residents are estimated to dispose of $11 million in reusable items annually. A 2015 study showed that about 6.6 million pounds of textiles are going to the landfill each year from Austin Resource Recovery’s curbside customers. That’s 18,000 pounds of clothes going in the trash every day rather than being reused or recycled!

That’s why we decided to create the Austin Reuse Directory.

So how does it work?
Once the directory goes live in November, Austinites will be able to easily figure out where to donate or sell your used clothing, electronics, furniture, and other households items. Simply visit AustinReuseDirectory.com, type in the item you want to find a second home for, and voila! The Reuse Directory will produce a list of all the places in town that will accept your item and give it a second life.

You’ll even be able to refine your search by location and item quality, as well as by an organization’s nonprofit status and whether or not they offer home pickup services. You can even narrow your search to produce only thrift stores that will pay you for your unwanted clothing or furniture.

The database is really all about making connections. Austin is home to hundreds of amazing nonprofits and fun and funky thrift stores. We want you to be able to find them all, support local businesses, and reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill – all at the same time. Now that’s what we call a win, win, win! You can learn more here>>

Want to get more connected with Austin’s local reuse community? Check out the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling’s (STAR) Reuse Council Happy Hour on Tuesday, October 24th from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at Lima Criolla. The happy hour will include tours of the nearby Austin Creative Reuse Center. More info>>