Don't Waste Durham, Inc. Information

We create solutions that prevent trash and power the circular economy. —GreenToGo (est. 2017): an award-winning reusable container system that takes the trash out of takeout. Customers get to-go food in durable, reusable containers from our partner restaurants and grocery stores city-wide. They return used containers to any of the return stations across the city. We pick up, wash, and deliver. —GreenToGo Wash Services: Contact us if you’re a maker, food producer, school, office, or venue that wants to switch from disposable to reusable. —GreenToGo Dinner Club, launched in Nov. 2020 to support the local Durham restaurant community during tough times. Each event pairs one neighborhood and one restaurant, giving the restaurant a single mass order that brings them a much-needed boost in earnings. —The ReCirculation Project is a circular economy innovation to test our hypothesis: Can the recycling industry’s existing infrastructure be adapted to recover and redistribute durable, reusable materials? Our first pilot test's results were highlighted by Innovate Durham, EPA’s America Recycles Innovation Expo, Otronicon Technology Conference, and the 2019 All Things Open conference. —Our Reducing Waste in Durham Schools team is made up of students, parents, teachers, and community members who care about making our schools less wasteful and more sustainable. Our current main focus: ensuring DPS is actively working toward a functioning recycling program. —Our proposed $.10 fee on single-use bags passed the Durham Environmental Affairs Board (EAB) by unanimous resolution in August 2019. We are now building a coalition of ally organizations to support passage of a local law, and incorporating the bag fee into broader plastic waste prevention policy. Our Bull City Boomerang Bag innovation is making free, equitable access to reusable bags a city-wide NORM. —We coordinate a steering committee for the NC state food waste reduction bill, HB 1119, led by House Rep. Zack Hawkins.