The ReCirculation Project = the future of recycling

Don't Waste Durham is proving that an entirely new kind of recycling is possible. We have coined it the fourth “R” – Recirculation!

Can you imagine a future where ALL KINDS of durable, reusable packaging (for things like pizza, shampoo, beer and soda, and shipping boxes) were commonplace? And what if you could put that reusable packaging into your curbside bins when you are through with them? We believe in a future where recycling companies, partnering with municipal governments and civic organizations, would collect, sort, and ship that durable, reusable packaging BACK to retailers and manufacturers to be used again and again. ♻️

The ReCirculation Project redefines supply chain by creating new loops of material exchange and, in the process, prevents significant resource depletion and pollution.

We are testing our hypothesis that the recycling industry’s existing infrastructure can be adapted to recover and redistribute durable, reusable materials. Our circular economy innovation has been highlighted by Innovate Durham, the EPA’s America Recycles Innovation Expo, the Otronicon Tech Innovation Expo, and the All Things Open conference. It was featured on NPR in 2021: “Reduce, reuse, recycle is getting a fourth R: Recirculation”

What did we find out?

Phase 1, completed 2019 – We formed a partnership with the City of Durham Solid Waste Management Department, the Sonoco recycling corporation, and three tech companies. Results of this first pilot test showed that reusable containers tagged with RFID and placed into the residential recycling bins on the street can be successfully picked up by recycling haulers, arrive at the recycling facility, dumped into the hopper, and then tracked, sorted, and recovered off the conveyor belts. The pilot test demonstrated where modifications to the existing recycling infrastructure can be made to make the recovery of reusable materials possible.

Phase 2, completed 2020 – A value chain analysis was completed in partnership with a waste economist and Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. They demonstrated that there is a profitable value chain for recycling companies to recover and redistribute durable packaging back to retailers, producers, and manufacturers, as long as the volume of the materials collected is at a certain threshold or above.

Phase 3, completed in Summer 2022 – The third pilot test’s main objective was to measure the potential volume of city-wide residential pickup of reusable glass packaging and plastic can carriers, as well as cost savings for businesses and reduced carbon emissions. To do this, we simulated a recycling hauling company and a MRF by picking up glass jars, glass bottles, and plastic can carriers from 25 households over eight weeks and sorting them for resale back to local producers and manufacturers.

The project team included students from four universities (NCSU, American University, Duke University, and UNC Chapel Hill) and one high school in Virginia. The students created a conceptual framework and logic model, conducted business surveys to assess end markets, identified the trial’s measurable outcomes, and developed data collection tools. They also created campaign messaging, built a landing page and communications system to inform, register, and engage households, built collection and sorting infrastructure, and managed hauling and sorting.

What’s next?

Phase 4, Fall 2022 – The project team includes a a multi-disciplinary group of Duke University students and mentorship from faculty of Duke University’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center. The objective of Phase 4 is to identify business models for pickup of reusable glass packaging and resale to the producers and manufacturers. The students will also conduct in-depth analysis of the end markets and gather best practices in bottle washing and label removal. Stay tuned!

We are proud to partner with Strategic Materials, Inc. to directly recycle any glass containers that cannot be recirculated to local businesses for reuse.