An online database and a mobile app were launched by the New York City’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to help citizens localise the nearest place to donate all kinds of reusable items or shop second-hand. The platform makes it as convenient as never before for New Yorkers to avoid waste by providing detailed information including maps, opening hours and describing the missions of involved re-use organisations under the umbrella of donateNYC.
DSNY has also developed an internal data processing system which quantifies the environmental impact of materials reused. Thanks to the Reuse Impact Calculator, DSNY was able to confirm the contribution of local re-use at over 40 million pounds of material diverted from landfill—creating a reduction of over 60,000 tons of carbon emissions. In addition, materials re-use also helped provide over 1.3 million New Yorkers with family services, housing or sheltering, healthcare, workforce development, and food bank programs.