Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub recently launched a new pilot program called the Tinker Team. The Tinker Team is a group of volunteer menders, fixers, and talented repair folks who assess and/or repair electronic and household items that come into the Hub.

The Growing Waste Crisis

It should come as no surprise that the amount of waste generated by our modern societies like the United States is staggering. For decades, we have been rapidly depleting our planet’s finite resources through the extraction of raw materials and over-consumption of goods. With over-consumption comes waste, and annual global waste is growing exponentially. Researchers forecast that if current trends continue, global waste will almost double to a colossal 3.4 billion tons a year by 2050.

Wealthy countries generate the most waste by far. According to some estimates, if all 7.8 billion people on Earth consumed materials at the same level as Europeans, it would require 2.8 planet Earths to maintain an average lifestyle. A lifestyle of the average US citizen would require five planet Earths to provide the necessary resources.

Diverting Waste: The Hub's Mission

Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub was founded on the idea that diverting some of this previously wasted material can have a huge impact. The Hub has diverted over one million pounds since opening in 2021, with the bulk of it going to various end users for recycling into new materials.

Best practices for sustainability invoke the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. This waste management mantra is commonly referenced, but often overlooked in that this is a deliberate ordering of actions to divert material from the landfill. There lies a kind of magic in recycling, but it should be more of a last resort. Transforming waste through recycling processes requires intensive energy, not to mention the labor and shipping involved. Recycling processes can be costly, which is why as an independent nonprofit, we rely on your donations (THANK YOU) to keep operations going at the Hub.

What’s in a name?

Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub fills gaps in curbside recycling services, accepting hard to recycle materials at our location in Lower Price Hill in an effort to divert waste from the landfill. Though it’s the second R word in our name, reuse is the first way in which we work to keep materials out of the waste stream.

The Art of Reuse

Reuse can take several forms. In the simplest form, sometimes called ‘upcycling’, unwanted materials are used to create something new without being chemically or mechanically processed into raw materials. Upcycling is limited only by the imagination, and since the Hub opened our 4th Floor Reuse Shop, it has been a magnet for makers, artists, educators, gardeners, and everyone with a creative idea and a tight budget. There, mismatched tile becomes mosaic artwork, wallpaper ends transform into journal covers, and fabric scraps become the latest fashion trend.

Enter the Tinker Team

Operating under the motto: “Waste Isn’t Waste Until It’s Wasted”, the Tinker Team evaluates, repairs and refurbishes selected items to extend their life through reuse in partnership with select non-profit organizations. For example, the team assesses fans, microwaves, vacuums, and other items brought to the Hub, and if possible returns them to working condition. These refreshed items are then offered for reuse at no charge to select organizations that serve the public good, like New Life Furniture Bank or Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio’s refugee resettlement project.

The Tinker Team helps us to save time, energy, and reduce emissions by diverting these items from the shredder. It also allows these newly repaired and once again useful items to benefit those in need. Items that are salvaged and refurbished by the Tinker Team are being tagged with Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub information to promote eventual end of life recycling at no cost to the recipients.

Join the Tinker Team

Beyond being a practical solution to waste, the Tinker Team offers a fun, social opportunity for sustainability-minded individuals to learn new skills while making a meaningful impact. If you or someone you know has expertise in electronics, refrigeration, or mechanics, we invite you to join us! The Tinker Team meets on the second Wednesday of each month, and volunteers can sign up on our website.

Together, we can make a difference, one repair at a time.

Introducing the Tinker Team: A New Initiative by Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub