Reuse DC Annual Reports

Annual reports highlighting the activies of the program. 

• 2023 Annual Report
• 2022 Annual Report 

Reuse DC Moving Guide

• Getting ready for a move? Utilize the tips in the Reuse DC Moving Guide to make it a sustainable one. This brochure provides suggestions and instructions on how to donate, repair, and reuse household items during a move that might otherwise end up in the landfill. Do your part by purchasing second-hand items to furnish your home, donating items in usable condition, reusing packaging materials, and more.

Reuse DC Holiday Guide

• Ring in the holiday season this year with Reuse DC! The Reuse DC Holiday Guide encourages sustainable shopping and upcycled gift-giving to make your holiday season more memorable and less wasteful. Support District thrift stores and organizations that sell unique second-hand items like clothing, home décor, toys, and games, in addition to local flea markets where that rare gift just might be waiting.

Related Guides

• Incorporate reusables in your event with the Zero Waste Events Guide.

Zero Waste DC

• The Zero Waste DC Plan, comprised of 43 actions and organized under 7 overarching goals, describes the combination of policies, programs, and actions that the city must take to achieve zero waste, and is presented as a strategic roadmap for cost-effective, sustainable solid waste management.

Sustainable DC

• The Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan is the city's plan to make DC the healthiest, greenest, most livable city for all residents. Learn how donation and reuse fits into the District’s larger sustainability goals. 

• Learn how your commercial food business can donate food legally and safely in the DC Commercial Food Donation Guide. 
• Understand about DPW's rules for commercial food waste diversion here. 

• You can learn more and get involved with food recovery in the District by joining the DC Food Recovery Working Group. The DC Food Recovery Working Group hosts quarterly meetings and an annual DMV Food Recovery Week. Watch recordings of past presentations and connect with local organizations on their website.  

About: Rheaply is on a mission to build a connected community with transformative technology where every workplace resource finds its next use. Rheaply’s free-to-join Public Reuse Marketplace enables businesses of all sizes in the DC area to circulate the valuable resources and reduce unnecessary waste, carbon emissions, and spending.

How it works: Join the Washington DC Public Reuse Marketplace to find the used workplace items you need and sell or donate the things that you don’t. This helps you to save your business money while avoiding embodied carbon emissions. Browse available items, create listings of your own with just a few clicks, and connect with like-minded professionals who understand that reuse means better business.

Users can:

• Browse items like furniture, fixtures, equipment and building materials
• Post your own surplus workplace items for sale or donation
• Message and connect with buyers, sellers, and donation recipients
• Measure the impact of reuse on your business

Tips

You can reduce your plastic waste in your everyday life by following a few quick tips.

• Do you forget your reusable grocery bag often? Give yourself a reminder to bring your bags by adding it to the top of your grocery list or keep one folded in your backpack for easy access.
• Beat the summer heat with a reusable water bottle. They can hold more than twice the amount of water than a single-use plastic water bottle while keeping your drinks cool.
• Say no to the straw! Keep a slim reusable straw in your bag or car ready to go.
• Make your own zero-waste kit for on the go. Keep a fork, knife, spoon and cloth napkin in a pouch at your office or in your bag.

Policies in the District

The District has several laws and policies aimed at reducing some of the most common types of trash we see littering our neighborhoods and polluting our waterways, especially plastics. District laws and policies targeting trash include the Bag Law, the Foam Ban, and the Material Requirements for Food Service Ware, which include the ban on plastic straws and stirrers. More recently, the Zero Waste Act brought about the Utensils-by-Request law and the Ditch the Disposables grant program, both intended to continue reducing waste from single-use food service ware. DOEE is responsible for the outreach and enforcement of these policies.

DOEE in Action

In addition to enforcing the policies listed above, the Department of Energy and Environment has several programs aimed at education, community engagement, trash capture, and monitoring of trash. Learn more at Trash Free DC.