Three Tons in Three Days!

ZeroLandfill Akron wrapped up it's work on Saturday Feb 27th on a success note. Over the course of three project days, three tons of expired specification samples donated by architects, interior designers, and manufacturers were repurposed as materials that were viewed by the community as essential to their creative process or program. What is amazing about three tons in three days is that the net weight of the average item handled by ZeroLandfill is less than 8 oz (fabric swatch, laminate chip, three ring binder). Amazing condition number 2; there is a seemingly endless river of products that are miscalssified as waste by the interiors industry. ZeroLandfill is a collaboartive community of practice designed to identify, divert, and return to the community items that have a long and newly discovered service life beyond their initial use. This is a practice now known as upcycling. Since 2006, ZeroLandfill programs around the US have upcycled 78 tons of specification samples from the interiors industry. One paint chip, one fabric swatch, one carpet tile at a time.

Click here to learn more about the work of ZeroLandfill projects in the US. Several videos from ZeroLandfill programs have been uploaded to better illustrate the possibilities that exist when waste is redefined as an economic and social asset instead of a burden on society.