Do you find yourself wishing you could be certain what can be recycled, what composted, and if neither, if there is a local group that will take the item for reuse?
The City of Raleigh has an app for that … and a website tool.
Consumer review by Jane Smith
I found the City of Raleigh Raleigh Reuse and Waste tool easy to use whether as an app on my phone or as a tool on their website. First, select the What Goes Where “Wizard” and type in just about any item. The tool then tells you options where you may dispose of it, preferably for reuse. Answers might include your recycling bin, a compost bin, a local store, a nonprofit, or – if no other home has been found for it yet – the landfill. The phone app will come in handy when you are at CUCC; at home use the phone app or the website tool. Because reuse opportunities include Wake County services, nonprofits, and businesses, you don’t have to live in Raleigh to find the Wizard useful (though check your municipality for your recycling details).
I appreciated that I didn’t have to know exactly what to call something. For instance, I typed “coffee” in the Wizard and found disposal information for an array of products related to drinking coffee (see graphic). I chose “coffee cup sleeve” and found information on recycling (including when to put my City of Raleigh recycling bin on the curb) and on composting the sleeve.
How can I get the free app for my phone or find the website tool?
Go to this City of Raleigh website or, in your phone App tool, search for Raleigh Reuse and Waste. Justice in a Changing Climate has added a link to the Raleigh Reuse and Waste Website Tool on our CUCC webpage, too.
CUCC’s Justice in a Changing Climate group thanks Geri Bowen for bringing the Raleigh Reuse and Waste app and tool to our attention! If you would like to help with any of our climate crisis solution activities, contact Gary Smith at smithg@mindspring.com.