Purpose
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the largest sanitation department in the world, manages waste for the city’s 8.3 million residents, as well as materials generated by city agencies and institutions. DSNY aims to address critical issues such as emissions, pollution, and capacity constraints at regional landfills and incineration facilities by reducing waste generation, promoting reuse and recycling, and diverting material from disposal.
In support of this mission, 3×3 is conducting Community Reuse and Recycling Events annually in each of New York City’s 59 community board districts. These events serve as an opportunity to expand reuse and recycling programs, improve material recovery rates, and encourage a culture of sustainable waste management.
Community-Centered Approach
The initiative launched with a series of e-waste recycling events, which provided residents with accessible opportunities to dispose of electronic waste responsibly. Building on the success of these initial offerings, the events are expanding to include various material typologies and event formats tailored to the unique characteristics of each community. This multi-stakeholder approach ensures that solutions are culturally and geographically relevant while fostering shared ownership over environmental outcomes.
Participation
The events prioritize active and inclusive participation from New York City’s diverse communities. By hosting events in all 59 community board districts on an annual basis, the program ensures equitable access to reuse and recycling opportunities across the city’s neighborhoods. This approach also helps engage a broad cross-section of residents, including underserved and underrepresented communities.
DSNY, alongside its community partners and core staff, uses a combination of outreach strategies to maximize participation. Strategic design principles inform the engagement process, enabling the events to remain iterative and responsive to community feedback. This ensures that participants see tangible value in their contributions and encourages long-term behavioral shifts towards sustainable practices.
Impact
The Community Reuse and Recycling Events have a measurable and far-reaching impact on New York City’s sustainability goals. By diverting household materials from disposal, the events help reduce landfill and incinerator capacity constraints, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize pollution.
The events also promote material recovery and reuse, extending the lifecycle of household items and reducing overall waste generation. This effort not only contributes to the city’s waste diversion targets but also demonstrates best practices for household reuse and recycling on a citywide scale. Furthermore, the events foster a sense of collective responsibility, empowering residents to take meaningful action toward building a cleaner, more sustainable future.
