Recycling through the RENEW Program

From household trash to business waste - or municipal solid waste to industrial waste - nearly all human activity leaves something behind. This makes the phrase "reduce, reuse, and recycle," or the "three R's," equally important for us to practice as individuals and businesses. Specifically, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, "treating waste materials as potential resources means changing our thinking from waste management to materials management."

To help businesses and organizations accomplish this, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has implemented a free and innovative program called the Resource Exchange Network for Eliminating Waste (RENEW). As part of a collaborative project of EPA, the University of Texas at Arlington, and regional environmental agencies called the "Zero Waste Network," the RENEW program facilitates the exchange of surplus or waste materials between businesses, aiming to minimize landfill waste while promoting resource reuse. Through the RENEW program, companies can list materials they no longer need, allowing other businesses to browse available resources and identify items they can repurpose. This reduces the need for new raw materials and can help companies' lower disposal costs.

The RENEW program is a win-win opportunity for businesses and has shown repeated success over the years. For example, RENEW helped a business transfer 7.8 million pounds of crude oil tank bottoms to a company who was able to reuse it, saving $236,000 in disposal costs. RENEW also helped a business transfer 275 pounds of waste acetone to another business that used it for lacquer paint production, which kept the original business from needing to increase their hazardous waste generator status while benefitting the other business. Not only can RENEW create feedstocks for other industries, but it can also help businesses reduce reliance on virgin materials, maintain regulatory requirements, and offset disposal costs.

Materials exchanged range from chemicals and plastics to metals, textiles, and industrial byproducts. Participation in RENEW is free and voluntary, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes. By connecting companies with sustainable solutions for managing excess materials, RENEW supports environmental conservation efforts and fosters a circular economy in Texas.

This program not only helps reduce waste and promotes recycling, but also saves money for businesses, creates partnerships, and lowers environmental impact, aligning with TCEQ's mission to protect the state's public health and natural resources. Since 1989, more than 500 exchanges have resulted in more than 1 billion pounds of material for reuse or recycling, saving facilities more than $27 million in disposal costs, and earning over $15 million from the sales of recyclable materials.

To view a list of available or wanted materials visit the RENEW page. Those wishing to request or submit materials can create an account to get started with this cooperative effort helping to reduce our waste one exchange at a time.