Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter

Reviving the Lost Art of Repair

The ability to fix or repair items is becoming a lost art. There's an overabundance of inexpensive items we can easily get at convenience stores, malls, and through online shopping. It's easier to buy new than repair the old. But learning to repair has many benefits to you, the environment, and your surrounding community.

A repair movement has begun, which started in Amsterdam in 2009. As it moves across the world, and specifically New York State, communities are coming together to share, repair, and learn with and from one another.

What is a Repair Café?repair cafe video

Repair cafes are meeting places where community members can work side by side with a skilled "repair mentor" to fix broken items, for free. The mentors have all the tools, materials, and knowledge to help you repair home electrical appliances, furniture, clothing, jewelry, computers, toys, and more!

Watch the NBC News feature on a repair café in our very own New Paltz, NY.

Why attend a Repair Café?

You can bring your broken items from home, and work with a volunteer specialist to have them repaired or even learn how to do it yourself if it breaks again! Even if you don't have anything that needs repair, you can stop in to assist in repairs, or watch and learn.

Get InvolvedFix a chair


Funding Available through the 2019 College Council Grant Program: Apply Now!

The NYSAR3 College Council grants program, supported by the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), will provide up to $10,000 through a competitive grant program for New York State universities and colleges. Projects should focus on source reduction, reuse, or recycling. Each member institution is eligible to apply for project funding up to $5,000. Project proposals that incorporate pollution prevention will be more competitive in the grant evaluation process.

The grant submission period runs from January 15 to March 15, 2019. The award recipients will be announced on April 22, 2019.


Upcoming events


Conferences and Workshops


Funding Opportunities - Application Deadlines


We Want To Hear From You!

Is there a topic you'd like to learn more about or a public event or workshop related to recycling (organics, textiles, traditional recyclables, etc.) you'd like the greater community to know more about? E-mail us at: organicrecycling@dec.ny.gov