What is UpCycle Ohio?
Step into our Community Makerspace and let us explain. You might notice someone from Zero Waste Event Productions using the plastics workshop to convert laundry detergent containers into PPE face shields that will be distributed free to Southeast Ohio organizations. Or you might notice an entrepreneur using the saws in the woodshop for a new product she’s working on.
UpCycle Ohio is a business. To be sure. But we’re much more than that. We’re a social enterprise, which means that while we strive to be profitable, we’re also working to build a better, more sustainable community. We do this in myriad ways.
Our Community Makerspace provides entrepreneurs and hobbyists with the tools and space they need to explore new ventures. Our Tool Library allows homeowners to borrow tools rather than paying for something they might use only once or twice. And our UpCycle Thrift store does exactly that: We upcycle gently used merchandise, which reduces the load on the landfill and gives consumers the option to buy used products, which reduces their impact on the planet.
We launched our Thrift Store and Community Makerspace on Sept. 26, 2020, thanks to the efforts of seven community groups that banded together to purchase the assets of ReUse Industries, which closed in February 2020. Our community needs the services that ReUse was providing, and the partners who have launched this endeavor will stay true to the ReUse mission to “support a sustainable economy, protect our environment, and create jobs.”
We also plan to be profitable and to reinvest those profits in our community.
If you have questions or want to volunteer with UpCycle Ohio, please use our contact form to get in touch.