The WasteShed's First 110 Tons
In 2019, we created a zine about the first 50 tons of reusable materials that we'd diverted from the landfill. in 2022, we updated the zine to reflect what we’ve done since then, and here it is on the internet!
The WasteShed: The 1st 110 Tons
In June of 2022, The WasteShed hit 220,000 pounds of materials diverted away from landfills and back into the community. That's 110 tons of art and educational materials that have gone back into use in Chicago's schools, art organizations, health services, studios, etc. (The interior of the zine features a list of accepted materials, plus a list of over 350 schools and organizations that use our materials).
We physically picked up and redistributed the weight of The Bean
(or if that's too abstract, 2 adult sperm whales plus an adolescent one). These materials represent an estimated $1,936,800 to Chicago's makers and teachers. *The number of people we have to thank for doing this important work will no longer fit on this page, but we are endlessly grateful to everyone who has put their time and backs into this undertaking.
The portion of this that has accrued to The WasteShed as income is significantly smaller, our retail operation covers basic costs and provides our awesome staff with a living wage (annual budget: $320k) (the love of our community is priceless)
Just for kicks, we calculated what part of Chicago's total annual household waste production this 110 ton intervention represents. If 365 days equaled 1.62 million tons of trash in 2020 (according to the Delta Institute's Chicago Waste Strategy report of 2021), that's 3 tons a minute, and The WasteShed's total diversion equals...
Just over half an hour: 35 minutes and 42 seconds out of an entire year.
Is this depressing? Yes! But aren't you glad someone is working on this?
In 2022, we are on track to divert 78,000 lbs, about 36% of our total EVER (and another $702,000 not landfilled)
Donate today to support our work to create a more sustainable and awesome Chicago.
When you donate funds to The WasteShed you are also supporting hundreds of local schools and nonprofits that rely on us for affordable materials