ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor is investing heavily in a new campaign to promote a local circular economy.
The City Council voted 10-0 on July 6 to approve a $150,000 contract with Live Zero Waste to advance the city’s work to encourage community reuse of assets.
The nonprofit group is now expected to work with the city’s sustainability office to accomplish a variety of tasks, including hosting neighborhood swap days where residents can share used goods with each other in a coordinated manner, zero-waste challenges community members encourage people to avoid sending items to landfills and a reusable food container program for restaurants are both pilot projects and the city wants to expand them.
In Ann Arbor, it is no longer illegal to leave household items on the curb for others to pick up
“The work to adopt a more circular economy is extensive and requires diverse skills, expertise, capacity and knowledge,” Missy Stults, the city’s sustainability director, told City Council in a memo proposing the contract.
The agreement with Live Zero Waste has a term of two years and will not exceed $75,000 per year, with an option to extend by one year.
“Trash is a tangible representation of a system that depletes resources at the expense of the environment,” says the nonprofit’s website. “When we eliminate waste, we separate from the extractive linear economy and prioritize renewable, circular economies.”
BYOC Co.’s bring-your-own container store, a local merchandise refill station and zero-waste shop on Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor on June 30, 2023.
The transition to a more circular economy is a core strategy of the city’s A2Zero carbon neutrality plan. It’s about keeping goods and materials circulating and out of landfills by reusing, repairing, sharing, lending, and otherwise finding ways to extend the life of items like gadgets, bikes, furniture, toys, and clothing.
Ann Arbor wants to have a circular economy. What does that mean?
Beginning this month, Ann Arbor is raising approximately $7 million per year in new revenue to support its A2Zero efforts from a city climate change initiative voter-approved in November.
The city has worked with Live Zero Waste on circular economy efforts in recent years and it’s become clear that more capacity and coordination is needed, Stults said.
Live Zero Waste aims to help the city develop and distribute educational materials on circular economy and ways to get residents and businesses involved.
Zero-waste take-out bins have been successful despite low turnout, according to Ann Arbor companies
The non-profit organization Ann Arbor was co-founded in 2015 by Sam McMullen, who was then a student at the University of Michigan and is the organization’s executive director.
The group is encouraging people to join their July Plastic Reduction Challenge by emailing tips to participants each day. The group claims that the most environmentally friendly product is the one that is never manufactured.
The city has a circular economy website with resources for residents, including a map of local amenities such as thrift stores and repair shops, and opportunities to learn how to repair and reuse broken items.
Want more news from the Ann Arbor area? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news site or subscribe to the free daily [email protected] Ann Arbor newsletter.
MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:
Fancy vegetables? Ann Arborites can get free plant-based foods through a new town initiative
Check out this Ann Arbor baker’s Crispy Caramel Apple Pie that can be delivered to your door
More space for pedestrians and cyclists? Ann Arbor plans to redesign downtown streets
How to report cops if they’re violating Ann Arbor’s new traffic stopping law
The Ann Arbor Art Fair is almost here. See what music and entertainment is coming in 2023
Comments are closed.