ReUse is an Act of Care

By Diane Cohen, CEO & Seth Gottfried, Engagement and Outreach Coordinator

“84% of the material in our municipal solid waste is reusable or recoverable” — NYS Center for Sustainable Materials Management

We know that the majority of items filling up our trash likely have a market somewhere. 

Finger Lakes ReUse (FLR) takes these current liabilities and turns them into assets through its Community ReUse Centers and supporting programs like Deconstruction & Salvage Services, eCenter Computer Refurbishing, and ReSET Job Training.

The Community ReUse Center model is simple, though labor-intensive: Make it easy to drop off items that might otherwise be trash, create good jobs by processing these items, and give back these items at low-cost (sometimes no-cost) to the community.

In the last five years, FLR kept 3.9 million items in circulation, helped 3,585 households in need get free access to materials, provided job-training to 60 adults with barriers-to-employment, and generated $12.5M in revenue. The reuse field is ripe with opportunity to learn and utilize traditional skillsets ranging from the trades to leadership, engineering, and more.

FLR is ~70% self-funded and ~30% reliant upon grants and giving. With a 3-Year Strategic Plan completed, we are looking for support to help develop right-sized reuse infrastructure. 

ReUse targets and develops local markets, unlike the traditional thrift model that sends overflow goods overseas. The organization works with other NYS communities to build locally owned reuse and create a regional network for reuse marketplaces through its ReTAP program. 

We can have a just, waste-free world where both people and resources are valued—and we must build it together.

Contact Finger Lakes Reuse, ithacareuse.org, (607) 257-9699