It’s Circular Economy Month!
For Circular Economy Month York Region would like to acknowledge and thank our community partners who have been instrumental in helping us develop and deliver innovative programs to our residents, businesses and organizations to help reduce waste and advance a circular economy.
A circular economy involves sharing, reusing, repairing and recycling goods, materials and food so we can eliminate waste and conserve our natural resources.
York Region has worked closely with many valued partners over the years, including several who have been recipients of our Circular Economy Initiatives Fund (CEIF). During Circular Economy Month, we are featuring three of our long-term partnerships. Each has been so dedicated and passionate about the circular economy and has helped to provide multiple opportunities for people to take part in our circular-inspired programs.
Circular Innovation Council (CIC)
Circular Innovation Council (CIC) is a non-profit organization that develops programs to advance the circular economy in communities across Canada. A 2021 CEIF recipient, CIC produced the Share, Reuse Repair Hub, a directory of local resources, locations and events where people can access share, reuse and repair services. CIC continues to expand and promote this Hub which now has over 250 listings.
NewMakeIt
NewMakeIt is a non-profit organization that provides collaborative workspaces, tools and technology for community members to explore and develop their innovative, creative ideas. NewMakeIt has used their skills and tools to help develop and deliver the Lendery libraries and Repair Cafés that provide easy ways for people to reuse items rather than buying new.
The Lendery can be found in several libraries in York Region where you can sign out things for free like small kitchen appliances, tools and sports equipment, as easy as signing out a book. So far, over 2,950 items have been signed out. That’s over 2,950 instances where an item was borrowed rather than bought.
Repair Cafes are free events where you can bring broken household items to be fixed by a volunteer fixer. Since 2018 over 550 items have been repaired by our wonderful volunteer fixers. New volunteers are always welcome!
York Region Food Network (YRFN)
York Region Food Network (YRFN) is a charitable organization with a mandate to ensure everyone in York Region has access to healthy, nutritious food. YRFN has been vital in supporting and delivering York Region’s Good Food program for many years. Their ongoing support includes research, public engagement and a series of successful cooking and composting workshops that help improve people’s food skills.
On average households waste approximately $1,500 per year on food that gets thrown away, much of which is avoidable. York Region’s Good Food program provides tips, tools and resources to help people plan, store and shop better so less food gets wasted at home.
A group effort
An important lesson learned over the years is that we can’t advance the circular economy alone. We rely on support from our communities. In 2020 the CEIF was launched offering funding to community-driven, innovative projects. Since then 17 projects have been funded like furniture sharing, electronic repair events, home waste audits, bike repair events, and children and youth education programs with more to come in 2024.
Learn more about York Region’s circular programs at york.ca/CircularEconomy
