Item 006 - Circular Economy Presentation — original pdf

Backup

Towards a Circular City Maddie Morgan Circular Economy Program Manager Why we do this work Zero Waste Goal Reduce waste by 90% Climate Equity Plan Net-zero community- wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 New Plastics Economy Global Commitment Reduce & eliminate problematic plastics 2 3 Circular Economy Program Support Circular Businesses Change Behavior Lead by Example 4 Supporting Circular Businesses and Entrepreneurs In partnership with Economic Development Technical assistance  Conduct individual business consultations to understand challenges, growth opportunities, and provide resources  Entrepreneurs, small to medium sized enterprises, nonprofits  Goal: meet with 20 enterprises quarterly 6 Roundtables and networking events  Host roundtables and workshops, as time and bandwidth allows  Circular Connect and Share: annual networking and professional development event 7 Circular Showcase Est. 2020  Pitch competition for circular businesses  $10,000 cash prize  Applications open thru November 16.  Eligibility requirements:  Focused on circular economy, zero waste or sustainability  In operation for at least 12 months  < $500,000 in lifetime outside funding  Annual revenue between $35,000 and $250,000 or raised > $100,000 to date  Located within Austin city limits www.austintexas.gov/circularshowcase Save the date! May 14, 2026 8 Circular Accelerator Est. 2023  Three-month program with evening workshops and business coaching  Culminates in soft pitch; top 3 earn spot in Showcase to compete for $2,000  Applications open thru November 16  Eligibility requirements:  Idea focused on circular economy, zero waste or sustainability  Annual revenue < $35,000  Outside funding < $35,000  Founder or representative lives or attends school in Austin city limits www.austintexas.gov/circularshowcase 9 Encouraging Circular Behaviors Austin Reuse Directory Online resource for Austinites to find where to donate, buy used, rent, refill and fix items.  ~550 listings  Annual campaign  Recently added ability to track what search combinations people are making  FY25:  Added 50 new listings  22,500 visitors  10% return rate  Newly added community event calendar featuring reuse, repair and upcycling events in the area www.austinreusedirectory.com 11 12 13 MoveOutATX Est. 2018 End-of-July program to rehome usable items during West Campus move-out  Host temporary donation stations  Partner with 6-10 reuse organizations  Facilitate the Free Furniture Market (est’d in 2022) Tons diverted Furniture pieces rehomed Economic value 21.5 271 819 3,738 $46,537 $639,247 FY25 Since FY18 austintexas.gov/moveoutatx 14 Fix-It Austin Est. Fall 2015 Repair education program  Quarterly Fix-It Clinics since Fall 2015  Partner program  Monthly topical workshops (June 2024- Dec 2025)  MOU with APL recently signed  Distribute mini-mending kits at APH Neighborhood Centers Lbs. diverted # of activities People served FY25 734 Since FY16 ~6,000 13 89 307 1,736 www.austintexas.gov/fixit 15 Leading by example Internal circularity within the City of Austin Zero Waste City Facilities Procedure Est. June 2024  Sets "Minimum Standards" for containers in employee-facing work areas  Requires all facilities to have recycling  Encourages composting collection  Requires staff to avoid single-use plastic purchases, except in emergencies  Requires annual zero waste training (expected April 2026)  Designates dept. Zero Waste Leads  Encourages dept. Green Teams 17 Achieving Minimum Standards  Facility management and departments responsible for compliance  ~200 facilities  Created category system to assist with implementation  Developed implementation timelines with AFM, Parks, and Library  Conducted 39 site assessments to determine alignment with standards 18 FY25 Achievements  Held 3 Zero Waste Leads meetings  Formed 8 new Green Teams  Gave 14 presentations on zero waste, reaching >300 staff  Educated >500 staff at employee events  Increased membership by 25% for citywide Microsoft Teams where staff can connect, share challenges and swap resources (~600 users) 19 Avoiding single-use plastics 8 departments have reported progress:  Municipal Court installed waterline to replace single-use water bottles for patrons and replaced single-use dishware with compostable options.  Watershed is using compostable options for ARC events  ARR has reusable dish kit available for teams to use for events  14 office areas replaced single-use coffee pods with reusable option 20 Encouraging diversion  Film and foam warehouse pilot (launched Jan. 2024)  8 sites  1,600 lbs. diverted  Breakroom compost program (launched June 2024)  49 participants in 8 departments  ~1,000 employees with access  Exploring other opportunities as arise and bandwidth allows 21 Facilitating reuse via Rheaply Est. 2025 Internal platform to rehome city equipment and supplies within city  1-year pilot successful (ended Oct. 2025)  Additional year of service funded by AFM, ARR, ACAR  In 9 months  269 exchanges  > 1,000 items reused  $430,000 cost avoided  41,000 lbs. diverted https://app.rheaply.com 22 Questions? CircularEconomy@austintexas.gov