Eco-Cycle and City of Boulder Launch a Virtual Reuse Hub

April is Earth Month and in celebration Eco-Cycle, which turns 50 this year, and the City of Boulder announce the launch of the Reuse Hub for Boulder and Beyond. The Reuse Hub is a new online platform designed to accelerate the circular economy across Front Range communities from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.

The Reuse Hub is built as a two-sided platform: one side helps community members and shoppers easily find reuse, refill and repair options. The other provides businesses with the tools, visibility and incentives to expand and promote their reuse offerings, as well as connect with each other.

Why Reuse and Why Now?

The United States represents just 5% of the world's population but consumes about 25% of its natural resources. Our current "take-make-waste" system extracts materials, turns them into short-lived products, and discards them-wasting resources, energy, water and economic opportunity. A significant solution is reuse. Reuse keeps materials in circulation longer, which helps protect natural resources, supports local jobs and can save money. The Reuse Hub reflects a growing shift toward a local circular economy where reuse is the norm rather than the exception.

"Reuse is the next frontier of circularity," said Eco-Cycle Deputy Director Marti Matsch. "When we're faced with mountains of disposable products and packaging, the instinct is to ask, 'Can we recycle this?' But the better question is, 'Can we eliminate disposables altogether?' Switching from disposable products to reusables creates a cycle of refill and return rather than continually extracting virgin natural resources and accelerating our climate and health crises. The answer in this case isn't better recycling-it's replacing problematic packaging, to-go containers and fast fashion with reuse, refill and repair."

For Shoppers: The Reuse Hub Makes It Easy

On the shopper-facing side, the Reuse Hub answers a common question: Where can I reuse, refill, repair, or share - right now?

At the core of the Reuse Hub is the Routes to Reuse Map, a searchable, interactive map that helps people discover hundreds of reuse-focused businesses and services near them. Options include reuse grocers, outdoor gear reuse and repair shops, secondhand stores, creative reuse outlets and home and construction material reuse locations. The map also showcases repair services, reuse and repair events, lending libraries and community sharing networks.

"Community members and businesses in our region have already begun embracing reuse," said the City of Boulder Sustainability Senior Manager Jamie Harkins. "From zero-waste refill grocery stores and repair shops to restaurants using reusable tableware and refillable condiment cups in place of single-use disposables. The Reuse Hub brings it all together in one place, making reuse easier for both the shopper and the business."

The Reuse Hub also offers tips and toolkits for reusing at home, work, school and events, and will soon feature stories highlighting the people and businesses building the local reuse economy.

For Businesses: Free Support, Incentives, and Visibility

The business-facing side of the Reuse Hub supports restaurants, grocery stores, retailers, service providers and institutions that want to offer reuse. Businesses can learn how to get started, connect with local reuse service providers, access incentives and technical support, explore case studies and join the Business Reuse Network at no charge. Network members receive placement on the Routes to Reuse Map and will soon have access to promotional tools to help customers identify and choose reuse options.

The Reuse Hub also helps businesses understand and communicate to customers that reuse is already supported under Colorado's food code, including the use of customer-provided containers for leftovers and reusable drink vessels.

This launch builds on 50 years of partnership between Eco-Cycle and the City of Boulder. "The City of Boulder has been an amazing partner of Eco-Cycle's for 50 years now," said Executive Director Suzanne Jones. "Fifty years ago, the city supported Eco-Cycle by providing property and funding to make Boulder one of the first cities in the nation to adopt curbside recycling. The city also partnered with us in the creation of the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials. This new Reuse Hub is just the latest example of how this partnership continues to make Boulder and the surrounding region a model for Zero Waste and circularity."

Learn More

Explore the Reuse Hub and the Routes to Reuse Map at ecocycle.org/reuse-hub. Businesses interested in joining the Business Reuse Network can sign up through the Hub.