2019 NYC Reuse Sector Report

Reuse, defined as "the use of a product more than once in its same form for the same purpose or for different purposes" has great potential to reduce waste and to mitigate the environmental impacts associated with landfilling. In addition, reusing items instead of discarding them converses the energy and natural resources needed to produce new goods.

As such, reuse is a vital part of NYC Department of Sanitation's strategy to send zero waste to landfills, as set forth in the City's sustainability blueprints, OneNYC. DSNY and its donateNYC program support activities encouraging and enbling New Yorkers to donate and reuse items. DonateNYC provides a searchable map of close to 1,000 locations where residens can donate and procure gently used items and refashionNYC provides convenient in-building donation bins for clothis, shoes, and textiles. DSNY also supports the reuse sector by gathering and analyzing data on the size, distribution, and capacity of the materials reuse organizations in New York City and presenting research findings in Reuse Sector Reports such as this one.